


Alis Grave Nil

by Sanoiro



Series: Tis the Season to be Folly [4]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Always check the notes of each chapter for warnings!, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Chapters two to four take place before the TV series Pilot., F/M, Lucifer is Trixie’s Biological Father, Minor details from the Comic, Mystery, Story Starts after 2x10 (Quid Pro Ho), The first chapter takes place after 2x10, Tv-Series Canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2018-09-15 06:55:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 19
Words: 119,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9224006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sanoiro/pseuds/Sanoiro
Summary: Nothing is heavy when you have wings, but what happens when you have severed yours? Divine plans, destiny and above all free will get Lucifer’s world spinning. Revelations and surprising twists all come down to Lucifer’s will, but freedom always has a price. Perhaps it’s finally time for him to reap the rewards as well. (23-25 Chapters in total)Romance, Mystery, Angst and your occasional Fluff.Jul 9th - I'm working on the next chapter :)





	1. On a Wing and a Prayer

**Author's Note:**

> Before you start reading let me warn you that this story will dive deeper and deeper with each new chapter. Not in darkness and angst necessarily but its goal is to address everything from the show implied or not. If you are craving the little details, an interesting backstory and ask certain big questions then yes, this story is for you.
> 
> But be warned. The first chapters are a bit rough and they were supposed to be standalone one-shots. Plotwise I'm sure that this story will not disappoint you but my writing style and my command over the language might leave you frustrated in the beginning. It's up to you. I'll not try to persuade you. It's a long ride and one you will decide for yourself dear reader.
> 
> What you should know: 
> 
> This is part of a series: Tis the Season to be Folly. Lucifer was forced to leave his penthouse due to the reconstruction of his chemically vandalised bathtub and as such he took refuge at Chloe and Maze's apartment. Slowly he begins to form a very close relationship with Trixie who tries to teach him what Christmas is all about through school plays, Chloe dragging him on mountain tops for a Christmas tree and both of them introducing him to the wonders of hot chocolate... Our Devil is getting soft but darkness as well as light is lurking closer than anyone thought it was possible.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of On a Wing and a Prayer:
> 
> Just 5 days before Christmas Lucifer spends an interesting evening with Trixie. It's all about the holiday spirit until on the 24th Trixie is taken ill by an unexplained health issue, as she does every year on her birthday.  
> Under certain circumstances, Lucifer realises that the spawn is actually his daughter but he is also aware that Father will grant him this knowledge only for a day before he forgets. 
> 
> Yet how come he fathered a child eight years prior while he has been on earth for just five? Most importantly, why Chloe Decker didn't remember our dear Devil upon their first meeting?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter can be found at Lucifer's Christmas Countdown Challenge! 
> 
> I realised a bit too late that many people are lost with Alis Grave Nil. 
> 
> Therefore, I had to upload the two one-shots which I consider the main prequels of this story.

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**On a Wing and a Prayer**

_Quote from Lucifer (Comic):_

_Perhaps this is the ultimate freedom, the freedom to leave._

 

* * *

 

**27th of December**

 

"You know I still wonder how much of it was planned. How much of it, he knew in advance. I thought I was rebelling. I thought I was defying his rule. No, I was merely fulfilling another tiny segment of his great and powerful plan." His words were rushed and he toyed with the ring on his finger. If he had been a mortal he would have bled by the friction a good while ago.

"Lucifer you will have to wait for next week for us resume our sessions, I'm in the middle of the ocean!" Linda's voice carried anxiously due to his tormented tone.

"I know Doctor! I know… I sent you at this blasted cruise and obviously, I wasn't thinking right! Then again you deserve it… Doctor-" his voice croaked under an invisible pressure. "Lucifer why did you call me?" She asked him in the soothing manner he usually responded to.

"Doctor… I feel I'm forgetting something… something important." His body slumped on the floor as he tugged his hair in aggression. These broken words were the last thing Linda heard before he dropped the call to let the frustration and the despair overcome him.

* * *

 

**20th of December**

 

The mattress felt heavy over her shoulders. With great reluctance, she kicked the blankets and shivered at the loss of her warm bedding. With several small coughs, she experimentally cleared her throat. So far there was no indication of a cold taking over or a hint of a stuffy nose. Cautiously she moved her arms and feet and all appeared to be fine. With a relief, she got up and her breath hitched at the abrupt painful tingling her torso gave away momentarily. Perhaps it was not meant to be then.

Without caring about slippers her bare feet carried her to the kitchen where she already knew that if she was lucky a grilled sandwich would wait for her. That is if Lucifer didn't have another craving this morning which she wished he had.

"Good morning, child!" His warm voice always relaxed her. Sitting on the stool, he was sipping from their last surviving teacup. Tea-parties had become a bit more adventurous and wild lately with Lucifer much to the dismay of her mum. When she struggled to get to the stool next to him, he non-committally steadied her by holding her upper arm and pushed her upwards.

"No cravings this morning?" She quipped and glared at him.

"Your mother provided me with two sandwiches today Beatrice, therefore no chocolate-chip pancakes for you today." He barely took his eyes from the newspaper yet his lips twitched slightly.

"You could have helped…" she grumbled picking small bites from her sandwich.

"And you could have not ratted us out to your mother." he chided. Putting his paper to the side, he laid his head on his right hand. Patiently he waited for her to finish her meal and his brows knitted in disbelief when she declared she was still hungry. "

Aren't you supposed to be sick Beatrice?" He eyed her speculatively and poured her a glass of cold milk as he had been instructed by the Detective. The child exhaled and her shoulders twitched.

"I have the worst of luck, every year I'm sick around Christmas Eve which is also my birthday!" she whispered with glinted eyes and Lucifer instinctively took a step backwards. He had been there before and this was his last clean homewear.

"Why don't you like children Lucifer?" she asked him full of innocence. He had long ago decided that the best tactic with Beatrice's questions was to tell her only the core idea of the answer or try to avoid giving an answer altogether. The second was, of course, the Detective's strong recommendation.

"I like you." he told her with a hint of surprise in his voice. He actually liked this little child. Still, she was a force of nature and probably he would never cease to feel startled and a bit violated whenever she threw herself on him.

She blinked and rolled her eyes. This was obviously not the answer she wanted.

"Can you imagine Maze as a child?" he decided to approach the subject from a different angle. After almost a month of living with his demon, the child must have had a clearer view of Maze.

"Was she awesome?" Beatrice's eyes sparkled and her features lighted up at the mentioning of her favourite celestial being. Was he supposed to feel jealous? But the devil did not experience jealousy. And yet Linda had proved him wrong once. As for the child, if living with Maze had not been an eye-opener she was more peculiar that he had originally thought. Hence not having the clearer view in his current playing cards now.

"More like downright terrifying and she had thousands of siblings to compete to including my own nephew." Imbriel's little indecency had, after all, got him murdered. His brother's desires had meant the beginning of the end for the peace of the Silver City. But that was a story which Beatrice would have to wait a few good years to hear.

"Maze is your niece?" She asked in the same disturbingly awed voice which had Lucifer cringing at the very thought but also in admittance that he was indeed envious of his own demon. What was with the Decker women in this house?

"Child if she were really my niece I would indeed be the wicked devil the world believes me to be. Now miss avoidance, are you unwell?"

She gave a half shrug and her shoulders tremored a bit but just enough to make Lucifer in an impulse move to check her temperature with the back of his hand on her forehead.

"I have the dumbest of luck dad says." Getting down from the stool she reached the couch and from underneath the seat cushion, she got a small red book.

"I'm always sick on Christmas Eve so he bought me this" she handed the book to him and this time she used his forearm to help herself up the stool.

"Five steps to not be a Grinch… Does it help?" he questioned in mild interest.

"Never tried it." Her surly tone let him know that Douche's gift had not been so well received. She turned her face away and drank slowly some of her milk only to make a disgusted face.

"Beatrice, I think we have to try this together!" If his determination had not taken her by surprise, him snatching away her cold milk certainly had.

* * *

_1\. Drink cocoa_

"First advice, drink cocoa!" her delighted voice laughed as he took out the three needed ingredients.

"As you instruct my lady" he teased her in the same lively voice making her laugh even louder.

"Lucifer you are doing it wrong." she complained while peaking over his shoulder from standing on the top of the counter behind him.

"Beatrice I have cocoa, milk and sugar! What may I possibly be doing wrong?" Sarcasm was always his strongest suit but the look he was currently getting by the spawn, had him for a moment in trance. The child certainly resembled her mother but her cheek was all Beatrice.

"You need cinnamon, vanilla powder and salt!" she hugged his neck from behind and balanced herself between his back and the counter behind him.

"Beatrice initiate me to the Christmas cocoa preparation if you please." Instead of feeling fidgety he welcomed the weight on his shoulders him, as well as, the sensation of her warm tinkling breathed words.

Opening the cupboard he took out each requested ingredient and handed it to her, one at a time to throw into the string by him mixture. Some made in the pot and some just provided the room with a very interesting sweet aroma. The result was a fragrant hot chocolate which made both of them moan at their very first taste.

"My favourite is with rose and vanilla but Mom prefers the orange flavoured one." Setting her cup down after finishing her drink with one last large gulp, she carefully poured herself one more cup under Lucifer's disapproving gaze despite afterwards smirking and getting a refill for himself.

"Lucifer we have a problem." Beatrice lifted the coca's box and with an effective upturn, he realised that he had used all the mixture.

"Grandma bought her this from Europe! You had to use the other box!" She hugged herself as the horror set in.

"Bloody F… rack!" he had to fix this promptly.

"That's a bad word." the child reprimanded him with a scowl.

"Really Beatrice? Now? Really?" He jammed his hands into his pocket and took out his phone.

 _"Harrods Exclusive VIP personal shopper manager how…"_  the familiar voice greeted him.

"Clive I have a new order for you and I want it by tomorrow morning." This was not an order, though, it was a deliver or perish

 _"Were the elf shoes satisfactory my lord?"_  Had that man no life preservation instincts Lucifer had caught himself wondering more than once since he had first met him, years ago.

"Clive forget the blasted shoes! I need all your cocoa variations. Exclusive, common, even the numbered pieces we both know you can get your hands at!" He held out his palm and high-fived an overhearing Beatrice

 _"Whatever you wish my lord. They will be sent out in less than an hour!"_  Clive promised him and the call ended with a relieved Beatrice and Lucifer drinking his second cup of cocoa in peace.

* * *

_2\. A Letter to Santa_

"Second advice, write a letter to Santa." Carefully she tore two pages from the end of the book and handed Lucifer one of them.

"They provide the required stationary, how extraordinarily thoughtful!" Playing around with the paper he sobered when Beatrice titled her head and narrowed her eyes dangerously at him.

"So I have a wish, I write it down and it is supposed to come true. Isn't that the basic concept? May I ask for a lady to fall head over hills for me I wonder…"

What he desired was the Detective. If such a wish was ethical was of no consequence but Father knew he regrettably needed some divine intervention if he ever wanted progress their friendship. Santa would have to do then.

"Santa is not a Genie!" She told him exasperated with his lack of basic knowledge.

"Elaborate Beatrice!" There was his only hope for accelerating this blasted tiptoeing he had found himself at the moment into with the Detective.

"But if he is… then there are rules and you can't have that." With a thoughtful expression, she held out a pen for him and started writing down her letter.

"Well that is indeed unacceptable" he murmured to himself. So what he could ask for then? His head loomed over Beatrice and she covered her letter quickly. He had only got the _Dear Santa_  part out and that left him with no idea on what he should write about.

"Were you good this year Lucifer?" Beatrice asked him with some hesitation.

"Not really… Is that a hard rule?" He asked and heated his third helping of hot cocoa at a fresh cup in the microwave. Without waiting for her to ask for her third serving, he took out one more cup and filled it with the now lukewarm beverage.

"It's supposed to be." Her list of naughtiness this year was endless he had to admit pondering all the past events.

Regardless of what he approved he guessed that according to the Detective's perception of right and wrong the child had not been that good this year. Hitting a bully, maiming her doll, taking bribes of cash and chocolate.

"What is the worst that can happen?" he looked heavenward. Famous last words he supposed.

"Humiliation, embarrassment, fire, explosions, collisions, tears, nudity, and death. But that was just bad luck involving a battery operated doll last year and it's very unlikely to happen twice." His encouraging smile slipped and drew back from the terrifying creature in front of him.

"Kidding! You get a lump of coal." she said without much care and wrote down the last lines of her letter.

"Worst case scenario Beatrice, we will have a Christmas Day barbeque." His eyebrows waggled and she batted her eyes in return. Father, he liked this child.

Folding his letter carefully, later on, he felt liberated. He had not asked for something special nor for something he could not purchase by himself. On the contrary, a dozen of clothes was not of any consequence on his finances. The child-proof feature though was a game changer for him.

Since when was he so accustomed to small hands touching him? When had the child managed to compete her mother on this newfound experience of his called affection? He pushed his neatly folded paper and she put them in separate folders. With the writing, task finished Beatrice opened her little book and turned the pages until she found the one she was searching for.

* * *

_3\. Bake_

"Advice three, bake." Her forehead puckered and her face fell. If the burned cookies Chloe had brought with her on their trip to the mountains as a snack were anything to go by, his little human was not particularly skilled in baking. Then again Maze always had a tendency of not distinguishing the fine difference between baked and burned.

"Have I ever failed to deliver? Have you ever been unsatisfied with your breakfast?" Granted he had little to no experience in baking but he was sure he could pull this off better than his demon.

"No." she admitted and her eyes searched his for something.

"Have you ever failed?" The settled gravity on her features unsettled him a little and not the question itself.

"Plenty of times." He took the book from her hands and scanned the page for the required ingredients. The instructions were clear and everything they needed was in the cupboard he had previously opened for the cocoa. With a few adjustments, they would be able to make more than enough.

"But I do not intend to fail today." And yet he partially did fail. The mixture was lumpy and no matter how hard he whisked, it stubbornly remained so. Yet Beatrice seemed to be more than pleased with the result. He couldn't help but wonder, just what Maze had scarred her with during their baking session a few days ago.

"All it needs now is kneading and then to roll out the dough!" She said at her clapping, a cloud of flour raised in the air. Both had been covered in flour, egg whites and what he had an inkling was cocoa from the last hot chocolate bunch she had asked him to make before starting the baking process.

"Don't!" She slapped his hands inches away from the dough giving him a disapproving piercing look.

"Jewellery off!" she ordered him and pointed his ring.

"I think  _not_!" he admonished holding protectively his right hand close to his chest effectively smearing his top white the sugary substance he was whisking before. The staring contest had a winner and a crestfallen Lucifer handed his ring to Beatrice.

"You can wear it around your neck with the string." At the tips of her toes, she reached for the butcher's string and made a long chain for his ring. When she settled again on the stool she gestured him to duck in order to pass the makeshift chain through his neck. Lucifer chuckled and taking it from her he passed it through her neck instead.

"There is something inside the rock." she murmured examining the ring in the sun lighten kitchen.

"Indeed there is." With his finger freed of his ring, he expected the feeling of suffocation to come back to him as that had been the case for years. He slowly worked the dough, retrieved the rolling pin and the cookie cutters only to see Beatrice still playing with the jewellery.

"What is it made of?" The child wore the too broad for her ring at her petite finger and then let it fall on her chest where it suspended from the thin string around her neck. Lucifer placed a damp towel over the dough and turned to have her full attention.

"This is a material of what my old home used to build things with." He pointed the silver band of the ring. The Silver City was not just a pretty name, it was a blindingly beautiful place. At least at the beginning.

"The black rock is a mixture of a certain kind of ash and a very rare liquid, which reminds me where I was sent to and why." The black stone glimmered in the light and his eyes caught what he knew there was inside but as he never took the ring off his finger, he hadn't taken a good look at it in years.

"As for what is inside…" He trailed with the memories of when he decided to craft this ring for his peace of mind. For some reason, he could not part from that small object for long which had resulted on a jewellery being made to keep it on him at all times.

"Is it valuable?" Beatrice asked and relaxed her head back on his chest while they were both looking at the faint shape of a small shadow inside the obsidian jewel.

"Something tells me that it is dear. Something tells me that it truly is." Lucifer held the ring for a few more moments the air before placing it on the child's chest and tapping it lightly conveying with the gesture that he was trusting her to keep it safe for the day.

"If we make some holes we can cheat a bit with the fourth advice" She recommended whilst rolling with vigour the pin over the dough. Lucifer winked at her and passed her a straw and a ginger man cookie cutter. Seven baking sheets later and a near call of fire, they had several good bunches and two entire sheets of burned to crisp black gingerbread men.

"You said we wouldn't fail today." she accused him poking the burned cookies.

"And we did not." he stubbornly told her. "I had a tree delivered to the penthouse today and it needs ornaments! A lot of them…" Six dozen of small black cookies would not be enough to decorate a 6' 4" Christmas tree.

Whilst wondering whether he should have to cancel or not the decorator from taking over the trimming, his little darling presented him with two very interesting bags.

"Fourth advice?" He guessed despite not being able to understand how these two bags could help.

"Yep!" Beatrice cheered and threw the small bag to him. He caught it midair grinning at her apparently contagious enthusiasm.

"Advice four, decorate!" they squealed together.

* * *

_4\. Decorate_

"Are you sure this is supposed to go like this?" Lucifer licked his lips and tried to pass the needle through the popped corn without breaking it in half.

"You are asking me after a seven feet garland?" She signed and quickly painted one more bottle cap.

The Detective had persuaded him that a Christmas tree would have been a good idea even if he wouldn't be at home this year, because of replacing his bleach vandalised bathtub and all that. Yet a Christmas tree trimmed of burned cookies, bottle caps painted by Beatrice and corn had not been his initial plan when he caved to the suggestion.

Wanting to distance himself from the holiday, he found it difficult to do so with this child and her mother constantly around him. Therefore, he had carefully placed all the strings on the burned cookies to avoid upsetting Beatrice. He had also accidentally pricked his fingers countless of times, thankfully without being a mortal around the child. Finally, they had used her ' _Recycle caps for wheelchairs'_  stash for building up the number of his tree's ornaments. Not to mention that Maze would be furious with the lack of corn for her movie night tomorrow.

Gladly defeated, he popped a couple of popcorns in his mouth and joyfully returned to his task when he felt a wet trail on his left cheek.

"No eating the decorations!" she ordered him for the hundredth time that evening but now there was a paint brush on his cheek leaving a trail of blue paint down to his chin.

Being faster than her he dipped his fingers in the orange paint and left several spots on her forehead and nose. In less than five minutes they were both panting. Beatrice was sporting several more colourful spots on her nose and cheeks while Lucifer had a small green handprint on his right cheek.

"Fifth Advice?" Lucifer offered as a form of surrender.

When his demon child nodded he let out a shaky breath and raised his thumb into the air.

* * *

_5\. Wrap the Presents Yourself and be the Gift this Christmas_

The lock jammed a bit but under her persistence, it gave away and the door opened widely. Nothing appeared to be amiss and for that she was thankful. A lingering sweet smell was still in the air and the soft buzzing from the television was the only sound that could be heard in the dark living area.

With some difficulty, she could see that the kitchen was not exactly the disaster area she was expecting it to be. It was cluttered with plates and hundreds of bite-sized cookies. Colourful caps were everywhere and a large bowl was filled with an insane amount of popcorn.

Tiptoeing behind the couch she saw the two culprits curled together sleeping peacefully. The large green loungewear robe was securely wrapped over Trixie and a large arm was holding her securely from falling from the couch's edge.

The soft light from the Grinch movie gave away enough light for her to see the paint on her daughter's cheeks and soft hair. Lucifer, on the other hand, was sporting the curliest hair she had seen on him up to this point highlighted with several strikes of blue and green.

"Lucifer how many cups of cocoa did you drink?" She demanded to know and ruffled in a gentle manner both his and Trixie's hair. If the cups in the table were anything to go by, they had gone through all the cocoa there was in the house but hopefully not hers.

"Not to worry Detective, an adequate supply has already been ordered to satisfy you and both your munchkins." He lisped a few words sleepily and tightened his hold on Beatrice before relaxing again and he let sleep overtake him.

"That's a sugar crash for you mister!" she laughed softly leaving the pair to take an evidently by their day's adventures much deserved nap.

* * *

 

**24th of December**

 

Three boxes of her favourite promptly delivered imported hot chocolate brand had not appeased the dear Detective. With a dirty look, he stole a glance at her drinking her morning coffee in the kitchen while he was confined under piles of photos. She had said it was time to carry his weight around. Yet arranging her photos with Detective Douche was a low blow of her.

Penny had already arranged a couple of large photo albums but he had to look though years of marriage, courtship and Beatrice's birth to arrange them according to the year they were taken. Sometimes he caught himself lingering over pictures of a carefree Chloe and at the silly expressions Beatrice made for the camera as a toddler.

"He said he would be here half an hour ago!" Chloe impatiently threw the rest of her coffee to the drain and run to the door to check outside for their impending guest.

"We still have fifteen more minutes." Penny informed her by checking her watch. The Detective closed the door and went back to the kitchen to pour herself a new cup of coffee. Before she added the sugar a sharp knock was heard and both Penny and the Detective flew at the door.

A short plump man walked inside the apartment and left his black umbrella near the door. His old-fashioned bowler black hat was lifted to reveal a descending pure white hairline. He politely smiled to the two women and set down the large leather bag he was carrying. He raised his sleeve and checked his golden watch and his large moustache twitched in satisfaction at his punctuality.

"Ten more minutes to go." The voice was warm and pacifying but a chill crept down Lucifer's back. "

To the room Doctor?" Penny suggested and took the bag from the old man.

"Is she still like a clockwork?" He asked following the two women.

"Always," Chloe told him and chewed nervously her right thumb's nail. Surely enough a small whimper was heard at 10:30.

Lucifer raked his fingers through his hair and followed the noise to the child's room. At the door, the Detective was holding the handle for dear life while Penny was helping the doctor to set everything near a whining Beatrice.

"It always begins like this. About an hour before her birthday then it becomes worse. Every freaking single year!" She whimpered as the spawn tried to take far away from her a little from the doctor who drew with quick expertise some blood for testing. What worried him most though was some of the instruments laying around the room.

The child's breath grew laboured with every passing minute and at every tremble, Chloe and Lucifer jumped slightly to check on her. He clenched his fists in synch of Beatrice's every hitched breath which was accompanied by the almost inaudible escaped sob from her mother.

"How long have you treated her?" His voice came out harsher than he had expected but it had no apparent effect on the Doctor who continued to check the child every once in a while.

"Since she was born." The Detective replied for him.

"There is nothing wrong with the child Mr.-" the deep voice inquired and the unsettling feeling returned.

" _That_  is  _not_  nothing" He extended his hand and showed him the suffering Beatrice.

"Everything has come back clear. Every test prescribed and not has been done up to this point and two hours per year is not considered a threatening condition." The Doctor probed his fingers on the small chest and put the stethoscope in his ears.

What he heard must have good because he gave an encouraging smile to the Detective.

"Everything except something was missing." Penny pressing her hands on her cheeks had the need to talk about this in the open no matter how trivial it was.

"True. But she is not the first case and is of no consequence on what she is now experiencing." The Doctor supplied adjusting the most disturbing for Lucifer item that had come out from his bag.

Unclenching his fists in an effort to relax he realised that he had trapped between his fingers a few old photos he was supposed to put into order some time ago. Chloe looked at him to see the damaged photos and a ghost smile made its appearance. There in the middle of the photo were her and Dan at their very first night with the whole gang before they got together.

"We had just finished our advanced training abroad." She traced the photo in which she had a lazy grin and was ogling Dan's bare back as he drank from his beer can.

"The next day we were together…" He knew she needed the distraction but he doubted she knew how much this was bothering him. He had not forced his hellish past on her so why was she forcing him the equally hellish to him past of hers now of all moments.

"It was an impulse and it did not end well. I can't do impulsive anymore Lucifer. Do you understand me?" She whispered although he was sure that Penny and the Doctor had heard everything and understood the meaning of her words better than he did.

He drew a long breath and took her hand in his to apply an affirmative pressure. His smile was mirrored in hers and he knew that a new breakthrough with Linda would have to be discussed soon.

"Doctor… What is your name?" He asked him still holding Chloe's hand in one palm and the photos at the other. "Gibhor Voight but you can call be Gabe!" he replied cheerfully and checked his watch again.

"Gibhor?" Lucifer tensed and only relaxed at the startled yelp Chloe let out when he clenched his fists.

"I was named by peculiar people I suppose."

"Yes, it certainly holds an interesting  _divine_  meaning … And what does Beatrice miss according to your tests Doctor?" Suspicion was flooding him but he knew better than believing that the self-righteous bastard would ever take the form of such a pathetic creature to meddle with his life.

"Nothing much just her rhesus antigens. All 61 of them are absent." At that information, Lucifer abruptly stood up and towered the old man. "That is not possible," Lucifer growled through clenched teeth.

"I said the same thing." Chloe lifted the haze from his mind meeting his now wild dark eyes.

"They say it is inherited like blood groups but neither I nor Dan has a family history of lacking all rhesus antigens. At least one of us should have the same rarity. I even tasted my father's bloodied clothes for this!" She was near hysterics as she was reliving the frustration over Trixie's peculiarity.

Thankfully, the little girl was unaware of the discussed topic. Lucifer rubbed his forehead and leaned back on the wall closing his eyes.

"Lucifer would you please bring me some water?" Penny asked him trying to defuse the tension in the room. He mumbled something and was out of the room before he would be asked something else.

He threw the photos on the counter and took two glasses out of the cupboard. The cold water was refreshing him as it slides down his throat. Taking some time for himself he filled his glass again and wanting to release some of his aggravation he slammed his hand on the counter with a much controlled force. He couldn't imagine the chores he would be assigned if he broke the kitchen counter.

Taking his phone he dialled the only one who would confirm his suspicion.

_"Luci! So glad you called this trip is awesome!"_

"Brother.. Have mother and Maze killed each other yet?" He asked knowing fully well he was chit chatting instead of asking what he wanted urgently to know.

_"Not yet but close. We are not welcome on the upper deck anymore and Linda has us on cruise probation! "_

"Amenadiel... A question... Is any of the 43 related to Beatrice?" Fear gripped him at the possibility of divinity existing in such a small body. The descendants of his little brother still plagued humanity. Although their diluted blood was only capable of showing one little detail. They all had Rhesus null. Exactly like Beatrice. Divinity was a tricky force to withhold in a human body and if he was right her body was experiencing a very difficult growing spurt adjustment yearly. The pain though was not part of the equation.

_"Lucifer only nine are currently alive and the last report placed them all in two families. One is in Europe and the other in Asia. There is no remote possibility for the Detective's child to have any connection with these two families."_

"Then I was mistaken..." Or the Doctor had screwed up. That was the most plausible possibility for him. With an eased mind he wished his brother to have a great time chastising himself on overreacting and overthinking the child's condition.

With the water cup in his hand, he gathered the photos from where he had scattered them carelessly before and placed them on top of the half filled album he and Penelope were working on, only to freeze in his tracks.

With a shaking hand, he lifted at the same picture Chloe was talking about previously. Everything was the same aside from a very little detail he had failed to notice before. Quickly he tucked the photo on his shirt's breast pocket and took the water in Beatrice's room.

"It's starting, let me go!" Chloe cried out as she was dragged out of her daughter's room from Penny. Lucifer helped Penny to carry a kicking Chloe outside the room and closed the child's door behind him, leaving him in the room with the Doctor and a convulsing Beatrice.

"Help me immobilise her!" The Doctor was wrestling with her small arms to place the breathing mask on her nose and mouth. The gasping sound she was making materialised Lucifer's fears over the need for the small oxygen tank the Doctor had placed on the bed earlier.

His hands tried to stop her shoulders from moving and effectively pin her down but that made her thrashing more violent underneath him. She wanted to turn to her stomach and regardless of what the Doctor had told him, he helped her turn earning a sigh of short-lived relief before she spasmed again.

"Good intuition she seems to be more comfortable that way." Lucifer's palms run over the small clothed shoulder blades and lower back soothingly.

At the next jerking, he felt something bulging and retreating repeatedly underneath his probing fingers. He closed his eyes and bite his lips enough for the first time in his life to draw blood. The rustic taste was familiar from millennia ago but the sense of his Father's betrayal was unbearable this time around.

Cursing he made contact with her bare back and focused on rubbing over her upper spinal cord. That act alone rendered her limp and she relaxed completely under his ministrations.

"I don't know what you are doing boy, but it's working." With a quick examination of the girl's relaxed state he slapped lightly his left shoulder and opening the door, he left the room. After a few minutes, Beatrice responded more naturally and with tentative sluggish movements expressed her desire to be hell. He was powerless to refuse her.

"Is it over?" The tiny voice could be barely heard so he lifted her body just enough for her head to rest on his shoulder and next to his right ear.

"When it stops, it stops for good?" His hands still roamed her warm back with tenderness and a plea to be wrong.

"Yeah, at noon and then I have cake." He could feel her expanding her lungs with great apprehension at an impending pain and kneaded his fingers more forcefully at the point that might have protested at the movement.

"It's not noon yet cheeky little devil" Truer words were never spoken from his still slightly bleeding lips. Her little giggle was muffled by his shirt's collar and relieved he readjusted her more comfortably over him, running hands never ceasing their movements.

"She laughed!" An awed Detective leaned on the white doorframe and watched the two interact but betraying her presence to them both. With the Doctor leaving Trixie's room she had immediately come back to find Lucifer and her daughter interwind talking in soft tones.

"She is just tired she will be under soon." His smile promised her that there was no reason to worry about the rest of the day. Bending she placed a soft kiss on her daughter's hair.

The proximity of her neck and hair to his face reminded him that the possibility was still there. Her scent was familiar. Her presence as influential to him as the very first time. The possibility gave away to a very likely probability and while waiting for paralysing fear to cripple him, he felt more whole than he had felt in aeons.

"I'll leave you to take a nap then." With no hesitation after kissing Beatrice between them, she placed a small kiss slightly over his mouth making his lips twitch on missing out. The door closed behind her and small fingers tapped lightly his chest in content.

"Want to hear a story?" He asked her and sadness clouded his features.

"I'm too old" She insisted she was too old for everything lately but they both knew better.

"It will be a good one. Promise." Lucifer coaxed and gave her a half-smile. With a shrug and a huff he knew he had won this round and covered them with the small light blue blanket.

"There was a boy once who wanted to go on a much-deserved vacation." His voice remained neutral and the gentle palpitations of the child could be felt rhythmically over his shirt.

"But he didn't know where to go. So he decided to get what he was missing for many-many years. He wanted to go to the seaside."

"I like the seaside." Beatrice yawned and snuggled deeper into his body.

"So one night he found himself on a beach on Christmas day."

"He has no family to spend it with?" She asked curiously with the prospect of sleeping forcefully being dismissed.

"He had, but things happen love" Explaining a dysfunctional family as his was not easy during his therapy sessions needless to say to a child of eight today.

"Like with Dad today?" He could sense her pout at Douche's managing to miss Christmas Eve and her birthday today over a new case.

"Dads... Tend to work a lot, Beatrice. They also make mistakes. Sometimes things don't just happen but also change." He needed to warn her of a change which would happen at some point in her life. A very much anticipated change. "The story Lucifer."She signed and resettled her head on his shoulder.

"The story... Yes, so it was a dark night and decided to look around for the perfect place to begin his vacation. His first choice was going Australia and learning more about a culture called humanity." His first trip to this place was full of fragmented memories which he attributed to the hefty return. Now he knew better.

"In the dark, he met someone that night who taught him what humanity was all about. Desire, passion and of course life." The memories of that particular event were the most difficult to retrieve and he knew that by the end of the day all would be lost again. Lost along with the majority of the memories of this day. Father was simply not tolerant of messing with his plan. A literal motherfucker.

"Was it a girl?" The child asked impatiently.

"Well, yes, it was a girl and she made him curious about life. Therefore, he tried to learn as much as possible following that night. After a mere two hours later the boy unfolded his white wings and vowed to return. If not for seeking his freedom then for her." Why did everything make sense now? How he had missed this detail and how he had lost his wings, not as an act of defiance but to rid himself of the unknowingly lingering ache.

"He had wings?" She had been excited by this turn in the story.

"Would you like wings, Beatrice?" He asked her carefully and he grinned when he saw her nose crinkle.

"No." She gave her definite answer.

"You would be able to fly." He tried again to persuade her even though he wanted to do the exact opposite.

"Why wanting to fly when I can walk between Mummy and you?" She scratched her nose and closed her eyes deeming their story-telling over and a nap next in order.

Taking out the wrinkled photo from his pocket without disturbing the child he could clearly see that it held more than he had previously thought, and all had been hidden by his very own thumb. There was Chloe leaning on the bar in a very relaxed state, Dan clueless of her existence behind him and at the far end in the right down section of the photo was him with a dreamy expression adorning his features.

"You are like a penny from heaven little one... Do you know that?" he whispered in her hair sighing. They had been warned about the possibility procreation but it would require a touch of divinity which Chloe apparently had. The child had to take a full year round from the sun to be released in the world and no matter how planned the Detective thought her daughter to be early in her relationship with Dan, Beatrice had already existed before the Douche made a move to woo her.

Lucifer had been warned that night. An act of redemption will always be followed by salvation. Had he really redeemed that night? Was this fragile little being his salvation?

His rubbing never ceased as for the next hour they were left undisturbed until after the clock rang noon he decided to join the others. Carefully he raised himself along with the soundlessly resting child on his chest and walked to the living room. He was broken and exhilarated. Liberated and lost. That much he could tell with absolute certainty.

Chloe was not surprised to see Lucifer carrying Trixie on his hands when he entered the living room. Her mother and the Doctor were having a smoke outside while she was trying to get a hold of Dan over the phone. For once, their daughter had escaped her hour of torture which had been subjected for over eight years. His absence should have stung and infuriated her but everything in her told her that everything was as they were supposed to be.

"Care for some company Chloe?" The use of her name signified a change despite knowing that he would still be using Detective with the same frequency in the future. Lucifer's posture as he walked closer became more difficult to decode. His hold on the child tightened and when he kneeled between her legs she let him take comfort from resting his head in the crook of her neck.

When circumstances overwhelmed him she knew he needed something more than a hug. He needed her attention and it appeared that Trixie's health issue today had crumbled him more than she would have ever thought possible. Giving him the time he needed she drew her arms around him and played with the soft curls at the end of his neck's hairline.

"Please don't let me forget tomorrow." He pleaded and nuzzled his face into her neck. A wet trail was the only evidence of his spilling emotions. What a contradiction this man was. When he drew back tears shone in his eyes while he leered on for a soft kiss near her lips mimicking her kiss previously. Intimate but innocent.

"But even if I do forget, rest assured, I'll always be coming back to you." He vowed with a sad smile whilst encircling his free arm around her waist to hold her as close as he was holding his deeply sleeping Beatrice.

 

_Someday soon, we all will be together, if the fates allow._

_Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow_

_So have yourself a merry little Christmas now_

* * *

 

_Sanoiro: What is the point of giving a gift only to take it back?_

_The Father: To have your child grow enough to cherish it and not destroy it._

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs used for this entry:

[Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland (cover by Ella Fitzerald)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L5mPfpeXxk)

[Take Care of Me - Savvopoulos (English lyrics)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ANcv_nDCw)

Yet I was listening to a beloved by all [cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GHBtKQ32bw) of this song in order to write the ending of this chapter.

[I've Seen Hell - North & South BBC](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPAy6RqIIek) 

[Ti Scatero Una Foto (I’ll Take a Picture of You) - Tiziano Ferro](https://vimeo.com/80525567) 

[In my Sleep - Austin Hartley, Leonard Kendall Jane Meade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96C1V8zu_ys)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes:
> 
> 0) *I had to delete the introduction so several comments were deleted as well. I just had to do this in order to add the two *chapters* which make this story a coherent piece to be read. I apologize to the kind commenters whose comments were deleted... Unfortunately I mixed up the chapters during the editing process...*
> 
> 1) I used many things from the comic and a quote from Miranda. Can you guess which one is it?
> 
> 2) In the comic Maze is the daughter of Lillith and sister to a little abomination according to his angel father Imbrael. That little abomination murdered him along with Maze. That is also supposed to be the reason why Lucifer started to distance himself from the Silver City. In short, Imbrael had been instructed to not let Lillith and her children in the second Silver City he was building... It's a long story but fun.
> 
> 3) God appears in the comic but I'll not disclose anything about that yet.
> 
> 4) Lucifer near the end of the series and before Maze scarred his face tells to Maze that their union is a marriage... But in the tv series, this does not happen of course. That's fine by me as I enjoy Chloe Decker a lot!
> 
> 5) Certain details of the Ring and Australia will be given to you through the outtake I'll post hopefully tomorrow. The M rating is for the intimacy part. I have never written smut so I'll go with whatever I feel comfortable there but it is not my intention to write an outtake just for the sex.
> 
> 6) Lucifer in the comic according to many does not engage in sexual relations. That's actually false. Genitals do not appear in the comic but he is known to be sexually attracted to Lillith although he refused her and after the second earth/universe he is shown having relations with Izanami, the Japanese goddess of destruction... Fitting huh?
> 
> 7) The Japanese/Asian culture appears quite a lot in the comic so I expect you will see more of that in the tv series.
> 
> 8) There are many spoilers for the next episodes and they are all great. Unfortunately, after this chapter's outtake I'll not write something new for a long time. Of course, I might an inspiration or decide that poor Lucifer needs to have a multi-chapter after this little revelation I left you with.
> 
> 9) What Lucifer says to Linda in the beginning, is written both in the Lucifer comics in the middle of the series and in the Sandman at one of the first depictions of Lucifer.


	2. Father is Waiting in the Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Father is Waiting in the Wings
> 
> Before L.A., Lux and LAPD, Lucifer had to prepare for his vacation. Like any other eager traveller, he decided to make sure that he would have all he needed upon his arrival. Therefore, in a moonless night of 2007 in Perth, he was set to meet his future business manager yet instead he was practically molested by a human. That in his book was impossible until he *literally* grew a pair that night. Twelve months later a screaming infant makes its appearance into the world.
> 
>  
> 
> *This is the non-smut T rated version of Father is Waiting in the Wings. The M rated one can be found on my profile which will in due time be edited and included here.*

 

* * *

 

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**Father is Waiting in the Wings**

_Quote from Lucifer (comic):_

_I have always been the one who said no father, that is how you made me._

_So I presume you’re testing your workmanship._

 

* * *

 

**25th of December 2007, 03:17 AM**

**City Beach, Perth, Australia**

 

The water dripped slowly down his bare legs and drenched tunic. Being so enthralled with the fresh air the warm sea breeze carried he didn't give much notice to the havoc the male voices in the distance made. The moonlight was reflecting on the sea behind him and consciously he stretched his leathery black wings to lose the excess water. Father's little project would after all not react well to a winged devil who had just ascended from Hell.

With some trouble, he walked on the wet sand and he spotted the small establishment in which his plans would finally materialise. With enough time to spare, he walked down the beach enjoying the little waves breaking on his feet.

"Just get in the water mate!" a deep male voice yelled in a good distance from the shore. The whistling coming from several other men had a stocky figure undress a few feet away from him and joyfully diving into the water.

"Quickly Didi!" Another snickered and by the sound of water being splashed around Didi was taking his revenge. Well, good for him Lucifer supposed.

A few steps later he stepped on the deserted clothes the man had discarded before.

"Isn't that convenient" Lucifer mused and put them on quickly. His tunic or his black trunks would not have looked great for the purpose he wanted to use his physical presence tonight. Then again the tacky green shorts and the bright flowery short-sleeved shirt were not a good idea either. Wrinkling his nose decided he would simply have to bear with these garments for tonight.

Looking at the moon he knew he had over an hour and a half until his meeting. That meant a better option of garments could be selected once he reached the drinking establishment at the other side of the beach. Afterwards, Didi may be unfortunate enough to repossess his awful stylistic choices. With the dunes nearby his bare feet took him on their own accord up the small hill and he shivered at the sensation of the grass slipping through his toes. It had been so long.

He crossed his arms on his chest and fell behind the nearest large rock to look at the cloudy sky. He had missed his bright creations and only a few could be seen through the clouds. It was a different time now and he could tell that many of his little lights had long stopped shining as he had intended them to do for millennia. But the sky, oh the sky was as beautiful as he remembered.

"Hey…" A feminine nasal voice called to him before plumping to the earth next to him.

He had not seen a human this close in a very long time. Correction. He had not seen a living human this close since forever. In the dark, he could make her figure sitting much too close for his comfort so he scooted a little further from her.

"This place is great!" She spoke in the same peculiar manner she had greeted him and before he could prevent it, she placed her head on his lap.

A human was touching him! A living human was touching him! One of Father's bugs was actually crawling over him. He shuddered in disgust and throwing her head off him he tried to quickly get up and sprint towards his original destination. The bar.

It was not meant to be. The human attached herself on his back with great agility. That resulted in him losing his footing in fright and tangling his feet at the roots of the short bushes.

"Ow that hurt!" she exclaimed above his lower back.

"Ow? Ow?" he hissed incredulously. She had essentially tackled the Devil and she was actually complaining? And why on earth he felt his cheek stinging!

She slapped his shoulder hard and his cramped wings rattled soundlessly in protest. He grabbed a handful of grass and sand in his hands trying to scramble from beneath her. He had expected to have to touch at least one of them tonight but this was by Father highly undignifying!

Slithering slowly from the rabid woman on top of him, he felt his shirt collar being pulled hard enough to choke him. If he had to get rid the shirt he would, wings be damned, which they actually were! With one hand he undid his buttons managing to release himself. He darted towards the far away lights as fast as his rarely used for running legs could carry him.

He had not made it far when he tripped in the sand. His weight had betrayed him. Groaning he jerked his head in the direction of the stomping feet approaching.

"Are you okay?" Her fingers touched his forehead and swept away the sand from his sleek by sweat hair.

The moon was allowing him to see her slender form over him and when the clouds darkened her previously illuminating hair he surrendered to his fate. Years of planning only to be trapped by a mortal. Father certainly liked irony.

His defeated confirmation was delivered with a sign and took a last glance of the stars he had so dearly missed. After tonight, he would be once again trapped in the place he hated the most. Second place actually but the semantics would not help him at the moment.

At his whimper over losing everything he had worked for so long, he felt his heart lurch at the sight of Altair shining above him. His chest rose and fell with rapid breaths which halted with a gasp when two hands rested on his face.

"Shhh.." She tried to calm him which led him to a mirthless laugh. Comfort for the Devil was too much to bear. Her fingers scratched his unshaven chin and traced his cheekbones up to his ears only to dive her them in his coated with sand, wet locks.

He struggled for breath when she moved her body on top of his lower stomach, now apparently content on slowly exploring his features. His eyes searched in the darkness to take a glimpse on what she was discovering at the tips of his ears or the edges of his lips. Why was the curve of his nose so interesting and why she brushed lightly her thumb over his eyelashes? Nothing was ever revealed to him.

Staying motionless he allowed her to leave warm trails with her fingers. Despair had left him and time was once again pointless to keep track of. Instead, there was now a compulsion to remain where he was and for once he permitted himself, to allow this wish his mind expressed before going blank.

Her fingers abandoned him much to his perplexed feeling of displeasure. The warm breath over his cheeks sizzled him slowly in a very gratifying way. He didn't have to wait long for an emotional overload when dry lips placed a soft kiss under his right eye making his eyelashes flutter at the welcomed invasion.

At the proximity of her mouth above his eyes, he became aware of her tongue darting out to lick her lips before a moist kiss was placed on his cheek making his breath hitch. His surrendered limp body rigged traitorously by surprise at the rousing experience when he inhaled deeply the scent of the woman above him.

A distressing thrill welled within him. Instinctively he nuzzled her cheek with his nose and his mouth found hers. There was no experience that would have led him to move his lips on hers so he was content for a while to enjoy the closeness of her body. Hands moved on their own accord to keep her upper body flushed on his.

This was an agreeable move by his companion if her probing tongue, between his lips, was anything to go by. Laying still he enjoyed the hint of alcohol that still lingered in her mouth but otherwise clueless on how to proceed. His advance on participating in this snogging session was awkward but was met with patience, encouragement and an occasional nip which had him rumble a low growl.

As tentatively it had begun it stopped and she rested her head over his wildly beating heart. He didn't even know he had a heart that could accelerate that much or a heart period. Flabbergasted at what had just passed between them he progressed with his exploration. It hardly seemed fair for her to know every detail of his.

Her cheekbones were high and her face had several soft angles. Her eyelashes were short and trembled underneath his index. The nose was thin and symmetrical to her face only it was covered by a coarse bandage. At her yelp of pain, he stroked her cheek to express his apology and brushed his fingers through her long thin hair. At least her nasal voice was a result of a nasal congestion caused by an injury.

"I should not have pressed myself so hard in the last day" she murmured and hiding her face on his neck preceding to slowly suck the tender flesh over his carotid. The existence of hypersensitivity and blissful pain escaped him when she applied more pressure on her task.

His body throbbed under her touch leaving a burn where her palms came in contact with his bare flesh. His pulse was synchronised with the motions of her mouth on his neck and his hands were fisted on her cotton dress.

The agony on his throat was soul consuming and unparallel to everything he had experienced before. Not even close to Maze's tension relieving sessions. His lack of genital had made them resourceful so how could a mere human drive him to this euphoric state of madness? But even in his flustered condition, he knew that the Devil did not get mad he got even.

Taking advantage of her concentration on his throat, cradling her neck he gently rolled them earning a bite at the spot she was so fervently marking. The jolt of pain from the skinned flesh had him growl deeply in her hair and retaliated by catching her earlobe between his teeth. Her short gasp made him chuckle and graze again her lobe avoiding her earring this time.

Nails glided over his flexing hips up to the trembling ribs, due to his harsh breathing, and finally reached his exposed backside. In distress, he remembered what exactly she would find when she got to his upper back and shifted above her. The movement urged her to arch her back on his torso and they both moaned at the new position they found themselves.

Her hands encouraged by their flushed bodies clawed upwards his back to meet his wings. At the caress, they trembled extending their full width above the clutching to each other couple. If he had thought that the existence of something on his back would be disturbing for her he was wrong. She didn't mind the soft membrane of his wings and manipulated his spine between them.

The warmth from the base of his twitching wings spread to their edges and the itching intensified his need to expose more of her body to him. Hands pushed him softly away and wrestled to free the body underneath him from the confines of her sundress. He could feel the fabric moving upwards with the aid of her hands and the tingle of the contact it made with his bare torso had him shuddering. With a faint sound, it landed close to them. Eager they flushed their bodies again this time with no barriers between them aside from his shorts.

His eyes searched for hers in the darkness and when her fingers trailed tenderly his cheek the absence of sight was more than tolerable for him this moment. Under his dark gaze, there were two eyes who were searching with the same fervour his eyes. Perhaps this time he could rely on his other senses to understand why this woman had managed to do what no human or demon ever had. Seduce him.

His lips crashed into her with vigour and he found the fire he was expecting when he demanded entrance. He had known hell but a newfound heat seared within him. Leaving her mouth sooner than he would have wished and expected, he gave his attention to what awaited for him rising and falling with every struggling breath in the midst of her arousal. Knowing what to do with her nipples came as a relief for him, having avoided any kind of deeper acts of intimacy such as kissing in the past.

Lucifer's curls gave away to her petting hands and when she tugged them upwards he complied by taking her mouth on his again. Her left hand was still keeping his head in place as they now violently fought for dominance. While her left slipped between them and undid his shorts button. Lasciviousness sparked him to move closer to her only to remember that there was nothing for her to find down there.

With the implication dampening his lustful intentions, a longing had him snort at his condemned to Hell luck. His sad gaze could not be seen and came as no surprise to him when the zipper was lowered for a fishing palm to reach for what would never be found.

Swallowing with difficulty, he felt her fingertips descending further in his shorts and waited for her to realise what was not meant to be. He squirmed uncomfortably which allowed her to cup the bulge where his genitals should have been over his underwear. It was the first time in aeons he felt shameful and loathsome of his very existence. Her warm palm continued to slide her hand over him when he had enough and reached down to stop her.

The throbbing of his body was yearning for more but he knew that he would not be able to deliver. Regretfully he reached for her hand and mistaking his joining her in his trousers she slipped inside his trunks band. It was then when the throb gave away to an excruciating agony of being slashed into pieces. Flesh came to existence and the forbidden act for Father's children introduced him into a new realm of sin.

A sweep of fingers tousled his hair. The sleek dampness of sweat soothed his overheated body while enjoying the light touches. All too soon the contact ceased and the ruffling of clothes meant the end of this mystifying encounter which had occurred tonight.

"See you soon." She promised with a last stroke on his scruffy cheek before leaving him in all his exposed glory under the glimmer of his far away creations.

* * *

 

**25th of December 2007, 04:23 AM**

**City Beach, Perth, Australia**

 

These clothes felt wrong on him. Itchy and coarse on his skin. He had never cared over the quality of his clothes for no other reason than looking good but now this felt uncomfortable and suffocating. His hair was still a mess, tangled with grass and sand despite his efforts to shake the most of it off.

Thankfully this place was not bad. The bar was packed with a company ridiculously boisterous drinking humans which in their majority had consumed more than what they could handle. With a guilty feeling, he scanned the area for a glimpse of the woman who had possessed him. She was a woman but on whether she was human it seemed doubtful. How could a Father's toy create what He had denied him in the first place?

Instructions were clear since the very first day. You guard them and make sure they don't get a bad boo-boo. You certainly do not play with them or fuck them senseless. Congratulations were in order then. He was the first angel to have managed rise to the task. Literally!

"Are you going to order anything mate?" The barman was eyeing him for a while now, not that he could blame him in his dishevelled state. Therefore, as instructed by etiquette he remained mild tempered.

"Something strong and neat if you please" Revealing some teeth with his wide smile he saw the flicker on the man's features. Charming was what came naturally to Lucifer since the beginning. Mother loved that ability of his. Father had found amusing. His siblings had drawn the short end of the stick. His charms worked for centuries on his siblings until his fall that is.

"They are from L.A. and that explains a lot" The barman filled him noticing he kept glancing over the loud company.

"L.A.?" Lucifer asked trying to not show any real interest.

"Los Angeles. It;s the city of Glamour and Sin. "

A two-finger amber scotch was placed on the bar in front of him with a wink by the man behind the bar. The first sip had him relishing on the taste of not just the drink but the lingering her first kisses. A dreamy smile must have been plastered on his features for a while only to fall when a flash burned his eyes. One would have expected the persisting issues of his eyes after his fall to have been resolved somehow through his immortal invincibility. But no...

"The same for me please" A short man called with a heavy British accent next to him at the barman pointing the glass on Lucifer's hand.

"Good choice." Lucifer mused good-naturedly

"Like father, like son they say." The man barked a laugh and took off his bowler hat. Carefully he placed it on his right, next to a long black umbrella.

He covered his eyes with a hand unwilling to believe that Father had actually cared enough to get down here.

"A Brit, really?" What was with this celestial entity and being insufferably posh at every possible turn.

"It works well in this Era you should try it! Now you could have called your poor father to let him know of your plans." He chided him playfully and drank a healthy portion of his drink. Taking his handkerchief he swept the remaining liquid from his lush white moustache while turning to look at his long ago exiled son.

"Would you have answered?" He bitterly told him taking a swing of the scotch in his glass and gesturing for a second.

"Not really but some courtesy would have been appreciated." Father sniffed in fake annoyance and a grin appeared on his lips.

"You are always a self-assured bastard are you not?" Fear was brewing deep inside him. In times of frustration, he had rehearsed similar conversations a million times. He had tortured in rage countless of souls when the mental scars of his abandonment reopened from time to time.

"It comes with the position I'm afraid." Getting a handful of peanuts from the nearest bowl he munched them with great pleasure as Lucifer for the second time that night felt that his plans were meant to fail from the very beginning.

"Was it you then?" He whispered relinquishing all secret hope of finding that girl again. She had been a pawn. She had been a toy to be played at and not played with. Played human, tricked Devil. What a pair they had made.

"Remember what the plan is, son?" He stroked his moustache and waited for Lucifer to reply.

"A very bad board game? Throw the dice and end up buying Regents Street or rot Jail." He humorously replied and welcomed the inexplicable slow burn in his throat. Father was certainly having his fun tonight.

"It works a lot like Uriel. Who has become a pain if you ask me but I hope his throw to be better than I expect it to be in the near future." Mentioning a disappointment over a brother of his had him stunned but he supposed Uriel was always a bothersome little prick. Loved but a spoilt bugger nonetheless.

"Can't control them anymore, huh?" The twinkle in his eyes had his Father huff and finish his second drink mumbling over the issues of large families.

"They have free will Samael." He grumbled ordering a third glass under the suspicious stare of the barman.

"It's Lucifer." He said shoving his still damp hair away from his hair. A small clustered sound was heard at the bar's counter, having the large wrinkled hand of his father over it to silence it.

"It was and will always be Samael. You escaped your function long ago son." Taking the small object near his narrowing eyes he examined it with interest and placed it inside his hat.

"Was a function or a son? You have to decide Father!" His mocked tone did not pass unnoticed and his Father's brows frowned.

"You were created by love and your function was to also create unassumingly with the same fevered love." Father sighed, as lost in the memories of simpler times as Lucifer.

"But I was the only one who said no" He scratched his stubble wondering why they couldn't have had a similar conversation before he was kicked out. He had talked back he was told. He was not worthy of heaven he was shouted. He was evil and when mother joined his new domain he had been called inheritably evil. What that made the rest of his thousands of siblings then?

He was deemed to be the statistical error of creation which was expected to be hidden away in shame behind Hell's gates.

"Your replies never bothered me. You had the empathy but you never loved as you were created to do Samael. You needed time and freedom and I gave them both to you." He adjusted the lapels of his jacket due to his large waist girth and fidgeted in his seat to get himself a bit more comfortable.

"That's poppy-cock!" Lucifer growled and his eyes flashed.

"Think what you wish but I'll leave you with this. Plans take as long as the ones involved wish them to. And yours is long overdue to reach its finest point." His formidable presence had Lucifer shrink back. A father's scolding was never easy may you be five or a few hundred billion years old.

"You always kept a stiff upper lip yet tonight you managed to throw your dice and then you asked for redemption. A redemption which you will ask again while bleeding out! And I'll always comply I can promise you that much." Taking out his gold watch, his moustache twitched and a smile crept at the edges of his mouth.

"You set the path but your salvation remains to be seen whether it will grow or not son. If it does it will cost you dearly to attain it." He warned him and placed the small object which was in his hat next to Lucifer's half empty glass.

"I would advise you to keep it. You know how divine interventions usually end." Father's dark eyes held a sober promise of meeting him again and loathing burned within him. He certainly knew how divine interventions ended. Like wham bam thank you, ma'am, but with a ruffle. He doubted he would remember any of this in the next minutes and that infuriated him.

The small object Father had left behind shone stubbornly despite the low light. Playing around with what was advised to keep, he recognised its edges. He had nipped and tasted its rough binding. How on Father had her earring ended up in his hair?

His memories of the evening so far started to suddenly blur and twirl into insignificant details. A woman, an old man with a bowler and the only physical proof was a small solitary diamond earring.

"Mr Morningstar?" A doubtful tone enquired behind him.

"Mr Stevens I suppose." He offered his hand to the lanky middle-aged man and gestured him to take a seat. With a swift folding, he enclosed the earring in a paper towel and tucked it deeply in his pocket.

"Jimmy!" Lucifer whistled and a startled bartender came quickly to his side.

"I don't believe I have introduced myself, Lucifer Morningstar." His relaxed posture did not match his warning gaze. A gulping Jimmy retrieved a brown folder under the counter and as he had been instructed earlier that day, he delivered it to the man he was told not interact with aside from the necessary exchange.

"Money run this world, we both know it. This contains all the required information you will need for the investments I want to get my hands in." He had prepared himself well for this new beginning. When they said that bankers ended up in Hell it was partly true. The efficient and knowledgeable ones did indeed occupy a very interesting and helpful section of Hell. That of accounting and investments.

"With this, you will be a millionaire if not a billionaire within a couple of years!" The astonished spluttering of the greedy man did not faze him. He knew how humans loved their money. Pity how their souls were worth more. Real imbeciles in his opinion.

"With the twenty percent, you will be getting you better make that happen. It's time for me to finally retire in a hopefully interesting place." The gleam in the man's eyes needlessly confirmed that he would go as far as Lucifer wanted him.

"Where do you want to settle then Mr Morningstar?" Now that was an interesting question. Looking around the bar he felt a pull towards that crowd. Whether it was the oozing desire or their joyous disposition he did not know. That pull was strong and he felt the yearn to explore it more freely. He just had to follow them.

"I believe that Los Angeles is ironically the right place for me." With his third glass finished he was ready to call it a night and return back. Everything had been dealt with and the questioning by this man was becoming bothersome. Abruptly he had the impression that something was being taken away from him and an unsettling feeling choked him.

"On what do you plan to invest there if I may ask?" The dumb man asked unaware he was pushing his limits.

"I'm not sure… I was thinking more on listening some music, learn how to dance or play my piano." Looking around the crowd he tried to spot what eluded him

"Allow me to advise you then. Think about a nightly operating establishment. Perhaps a lounge bar?"

A lounge bar would have been an interesting venture but he was in a position to evaluate that idea now. It was torn away from him he could feel the gap. Frantically left the man searching with vigour around the horde of tipsy drinkers.

"In three years I'll be back Stevens and I do not appreciate tardiness or deceit." He warned him hissing and walked towards the large gathered company.

In vain he hunted around the other side of the pulling string which caused his heart to palpitate strongly at every tug. Feeling defeated he barked at Jimmy for a fourth glass and nursed it slowly looking in the distance towards the sound of the crashing waves on the shore. Knowing he had no more time to spend in this place he felt for the last time the soft wet sand between his toes walking back to the place he had resurfaced. His descending point was not far but the time was doing no favours even for the Devil himself.

* * *

 

 **25th of December 2007, 05:41 AM** (Or around 2 hours and 24 minutes after Lucifer's ascending)

**City Beach, Perth, Australia**

 

The twilight would be seen any moment now on the horizon. The orange hue would appear in the sky painting the clouds with myriad colours but he would be gone before that. With some remorse of having to spend three more years in Hell until he could finally see a proper sunrise, he stepped into the now cool water. After all the heat of where he was going, would dry him up eventually. Taking out the small pentecostal coin, he knew that this would have to work as he had just one more coin for this liberating plan of his to work.

Taking a deep breath he flipped the coin in the air and prepared himself for the descending trip back. Seconds before the coin dropped with a plop in the water a sharp pull was felt from his stomach expelling all air from his lungs. Something was trying to yank him back again to the shore and over the hill in the bar where he was sitting minutes ago. Regardless, he had no time to return. When he heard the coin making contact with the water the beach disappeared from his view.

"My Lord?" Her familiar voice was heard from above him and he gave her his usual dazzling smile.

"Everything went according to plan Maze. Now we only have a couple of years to start packing!" His boisterous laughter took her by surprise but not before his wings tore through the ridiculous garment he was wearing.

Lucifer flexed his wings in annoyance of having them tucked away for so long. They felt heavier and at the sharp shake he gave to stretch his muscles, white feathers flew around them.

"You have feathers." Maze stood in awe and lightly touched her master's wings. To her shock, she was launched back by the very thing she perceived as truly angelic. She should have known by now, though.

"Please… Don't…" His breath came out laboured while his wings shuddered violently.

These blasted things had ached and burned under her touch. Was this a new form of punishment for him he wondered, a warning perhaps? Whatever it was he didn't like it. He threw the filthy trousers and snatched from the ground the tunic Maze had thought to bring with her. Smart demon.

Putting his tunic on he felt more comfortable and the clean textile on him was very much appreciated. He fixed the cord around his waist and something felt in need of readjustment.

"Fuck me sideways!" He blurted out in disbelief.

"Well, you sure can do that now…" Maze took in the modest sized genitals between Lucifer's legs.

"That is not funny Mazenakieen!" He was furious. He had turned into a cock. An oversized rooster that is!

"You would think you would care more about the chicken wings over actually having a working pair." She teased him but he was too far gone on poking things around.

"This will need an adapting period for sure." He was tired and handling the appearance angelic wings and genitals had not been on his schedule for today.

Walking away from his landing point, he frowned on the new sensation until it occurred to him that it had nothing to do with his additional burden on his shoulders and groin. It was the absence of a weight that bothered him. Looking back at the green shorts he returned and searching the pockets he found a small earring wrapped carefully in a paper towel. How had this ended up in his pocket?

* * *

**December 2008, Hell**

The first year passed with several difficult re-adjustments in Lucifer's routine. His inability to stay away from the earring irritated him to no end and the thing had been misplaced more than once. The wings were more temperamental than he remembered them to be refusing to come to contact with any demon or object without sending a painful jolt down his spine.

That was particularly bothersome when he had started to explore his sexual prowess with several partners. Who knew that the Devil could be that insatiable? Well, apparently his wings which made their best to halt him at every possible way. Thus he was considering parting from them for good. An act of defiance which thrilled him to no end.

"Still working on that?" Maze asked him and leaned over to see his progress.

"It will be ready within the hour." In concentration, he took his tongue between his lips while carving the last swirl on the binding.

"You could have it commissioned. Not struggling for months over this." She dismissed his obsession of crafting that little thing. But his overreacting tantrums in the past months whenever he lost that jewellery was not fun either.

"Yes. Nothing would have gone wrong with the materials involved if I had it commissioned, hmm?" Setting the jewel on the heated metal was easier than he had expected. Carefully he closed edges and admired his little creation.

"Why use these materials, though? It seems a bit wasteful." Her irritation had surfaced early upon his return that night.

Regardless of enjoying the new aspect of their carnal relationship, she found him emotionally detached. If that was even possible for him. He would reverie looking at the horizon for days to end while playing with that earring between his fingers. Yet he was willing to trust her enough to explore everything desire and lust could offer his body but his soul was not never there. Although, what did a demon knew about souls after all.

"Silver from my room in Silver City and Hell's ash blended with my own blood after the Fall seemed appropriate to me." He shrugged and before wearing it he spotted the faint outline on what had been enclosed within his dried blood and the Hell's ash.

"And the jewel?" She impatiently asked.

"Not your business my dear Maze." He wished he knew himself. It felt important and vital to carry it around at all times. Now that was going to be doable with this ring. Under his demons scowl, he finally wore the ring on the fourth finger of his right hand.

"Lucifer!" she hissed her disapproval of using that finger according to the tradition tracing millennia back.

"Not your business!" His tone was final. The weight of the ring soothed him and signified the union of everything he had ever been and something he wished to become. An angel, a devil and hopefully a free man.

How ironically marvellous, that he had been all three, at a long forgotten memory in the arms of God's miracle child, Chloe Decker.

* * *

 

**24th of December 2008, 11:41 AM (Or 365 Days and 23 hours since Lucifer's descending)**

**Los Angles, California**

The child came out screaming as all newborns do. It's struggling birth did not appear to have any lingering effects aside from the light tremors which shook the small body until after noon. Pink and well adjusted under an hour of her birth she sported dark curls and impossibly long eyelashes.

The man outside the glass he could see that she would be a feisty one. Her little legs kicked around trying to free herself from the tightly wrapped blanket and a wail of displeasure erupted at her failure. What she thought of the Caterpillar-Duck race depicted on the little hat she was wearing he was too afraid to know. He had seen that temper before.

"She is beautiful!" The woman gushed and the family nodded in agreement. It had been a difficult evening with the uncomplicated actual birth to be considered a miracle. The birthing process had not given them any good odds. Yet here she was too stubborn to accept her confinement. Her light had fainted before she had made it to this world but she had taken her father's will to turn the tables to him.

He groaned inwardly. She was so very much like her father.

"Doctor?" The woman in the wheelchair asked for his attention while the rest of the family left. He knew that she would be spectacular but he had never imagined that his son would have managed to throw his dices so well.

"Ms Decker she is like divinity on earth. Literally unstoppable!" He laughed with her and turned back to the child who had now freed her right arm but had fallen asleep from the exertion. She was a lovely sight to behold. Fearsome yes, but lovely.

"They all say that she has her father's extrovert nature as well as her paternal grandfather's colouring." She was wistful on seeing more of her own self in her daughter but her characteristics were oddly comforting. Something felt amiss for months and with her birth that void had been partly filled.

"She will be an interesting little girl to raise that's for sure." The plan, unfortunately, did not favour anyone, not even his own child.

"Doctor… They call you a God in your field and right now I feel like I need a God on my speed dial" Posing as a paediatrician had been an interesting way to come closer to what could mean his boy's redemption and eventual salvation.

"Is that a way to ask for my services Ms Decker?" For an all-knowing celestial being, even the anticipated questions thrilled him sometimes.

"If you are up for my little devil there" She chuckled nervously seeing her daughter releasing her second arm from the blanket. The little arms waived around enthusiastically before going limp for a quick second nap.

"Does that little devil has a name yet?" He asked her. That was something not even He could foresee. Names would come and go but souls were truly unique after being named.

"She has made me very happy. It may seem odd but when I think of her I have connected her with salvation." Her pregnancy had not been planned. In the three months of their relationship, she had known that she wanted more. Yet that more was based on what she had experienced that first night on a beach in Perth.

She had followed him down the beach and searched for the affectionately called Didi. She had thought it was amusing how a grown man could be tackled that easily inside and outside of class. What she did found that night though was a deeper connection to the man she had been crashing for weeks. What followed was not the same. It was by no means bad but it was never the same.

"Yours?" The Doctor broke her preoccupation on what it had occurred almost a year ago.

"No and that's what's odd so I thought Beatrice would be a fitting name. A combination of Dante and Shakespeare." Her mother had suggested the several names but that one had stuck with her to the end. That little child behind the glass was a Beatrice.

"How is Trixie?" A tall man joined them waving at the sleeping infant.

"Trixie?" The Doctor questioned Chloe and she shrugged.

"I was a fan of Trixie Belden as a child…" Which Dan believed to be a valid reason on butchering her name but she had to admit it sounded cute.

"And we expected the baby to be blond so… yeah." The colouring of the little girl had not come as a big surprise. All his siblings had taken his father's dark hair and rustic skin so for her to not inherit her parents colouring directly had been a possibility.

"A Beatrice who turned to a Trixie… I can't wait for what the future will bring." He handed her his card and still laughing he assured her that he would be at her disposal at any time.

Oh, when Sammy met Trixie. That boy hated nicknames. The future could be very bright and amusing. Still, heartbreak and pain were also there. His decisions had caused a rift in heaven but how could he explain that he wanted more for his favourite child?

Hell was supposed to be the gift of independence, away from a place where controversial questions were seen as a blasphemy. Samuel had always been different. He always had His reasoning. The reasoning of a maker, not a follower. And a maker he became. He only wished his son to have a lucky hand in his next throws. The beginning was after a roll of the dice away.

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

 Songs used for this entry:

[Like I Never Loved You At All - Take That](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlXubB-_bQ0)

[Doing the wrong things - The Morse Codes (Cover by Rebecca Young)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaKp9vnh0TA) - [Also check the original ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpKCtDZhxZE)

[Che Sara (What will be) cover by  Ricchi e Poveri](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsnNWhe5Uhs) 

[Domenica e lunedì (Sunday and Monday) - Angelo Branduardi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVnBLxuGQ9Q) 

[One Crowded Hour - Augie March](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LejMbZjZUvk) 

It deserved an Aussie singer this one don't you think?

Why so many foreign songs? Because the Devil knows every language out there of course! Kidding. I was always open to foreign songs and despite not knowing most of the languages I hunted down the lyrics years ago when I decided I liked them for the emotion they conveyed. And so today I give you some songs that fit perfectly into this little story of mine.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Why Lucifer's wings were not feathered and white in the begging? In the comic Lucifer is supposed to have the classic demon-like wings. No feathers and certainly not white at least not at the beginning. This suited me really well as I could use it to turn the tables for him. By engaging to his desires with our miraculous Godly intervention named Chloe he gets his redemption albeit unknowingly. But his salvation, just like Dante's Beatrice who he met when she was 8 years old (reminds you anything?), was the result of this night. No-one said that salvation is easy. To be redeemed is difficult but salvation takes time… In short, redemption is a decision but salvation requires real actions.
> 
> 2) 5:41 AM on the 25th of December in Perth Australia was the civil twilight of that day. Meaning the break of the day for the common people like us. At 5:41 if you didn't guess already a certain something was conceived. Conception can happen as early as 30-45 minutes after an ejaculation. That's what most med sources agree on at least.
> 
> 3) Was Father also the Doctor in On a Wing and a Prayer? Yes. Yes, he was. All parents like to meddle especially when grandchildren are involved. Moreover, I have written before that following the comic and the tv series, Lucifer or Samael was indeed His favourite. At some point in the comic, he even wanted to make him a maker himself only for Lucifer to decline quite rudely.
> 
> 4) So far I have not read a story in which Perth is mentioned. I know that a fellow ff author wanted to use that little detail and I hope that more authors will know that Lucifer according to the comic was first in Perth, Australia. Yes, he actually ended up on a beach in Perth sans Maze. Afterwards, he eventually went to L.A. where he got his bar and Maze started working there as well. As you can see I just had to use that little detail.
> 
> 5) The most common question if you didn't get the story and its connection to On a Wing and a Prayer is: Did he forget or not and perhaps even why? Well, having a wild adventure with a stranger in the dark is never a good idea. Chloe did not forget. She just thought she was finally scoring with her crush… meaning Dan. Lucifer was just pulled into the feeling of what feels right which even at the comics is happening more than once but not about sex or in such an obvious way. But he indeed forgets. Why? If I managed not to write this as I was expecting and confused you even more, the answer is
> 
> 6) Was Lucifer a novice in intimacy? Yes. Was he a virgin o the terms of not having intercourse? Double yes. Complete novice? Nope! He had his fun on multiple occasion with Maze… I place this story as an AU of the comic. This means that Lucifer tv series follows the comic Lucifer up to the point before the second earth/universe. He knows in the comic what sex is and understands the concept of desire but he is never seen to lower himself enough to get on with it until after the second earth/universe and as I have mentioned before with Izanami (Goddess of creation and death). Lucifer in the comics is also shown to have a couple of interesting snogs with Maze but this is based on the different relationship they have in the comics which is not the same with the tv series. Meaning that poor Lucifer was introduced to his hedonistic side only in the tv series but everything must have a beginning.
> 
> Yet this is also one more small detail that most ignore as well in the comic the absence of genitals is real but Lillith has encounters with two angels and conceives a son by one. That is due to her highly gifted fertility… Also, Maze reveals to a character (Spera) how she is able to engage in sex with Lucifer and although it is not revealed to the audience it must have been interesting...


	3. On a Wing and a Prayer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Mother is Waiting in the Wings
> 
> Long before she became a detective, Chloe Decker was attending a police academy seminar in Perth. With a broken nose but unshaken spirit, she pursued her crush into the night until he caved to her charms. Twelve months later she and Dan found themselves in a rocky relationship but they are now parents of a little girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters 2-4 of this story will be set before the series pilot. If you don't enjoy this chapter I'm sure you will love the next one where Lucifer makes his grand entrance.

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**Mother is Waiting in the Wings**

 

**24th of December 2007, 11:24 AM**

**W.A. Police Academy, Perth, Australia**

  
  
Radiating pain was always an inconvenience. The sting had been replaced by a soft buzzing burning which was slowly spreading to her cheekbones. The blood had long stopped flowing but her t-shirt was now ruined. Tentatively she raised her hand and touched the hard bandage which covered her nose.  
  
"That my dear was beyond stupid." Between unfocused blurred eyes, she could see the outline of the academy's nurse. Sighing she knew that the woman was right. Stupidity was her forte lately.  
  
"Fractured nose by hard impact is not the way to end your training!" She admonished rubbing Chloe's arm with a soggy cotton ball.  
  
She hissed at the unexpected piercing needle in her flesh but knew better than complain. A fractured nose under a stitched gash was indeed an idiotic way to end a two-month training. Especially when she had got it while ogling a fellow officer.  
  
"Up you go! Two weeks for the fracture and check the stitches in about a week." The woman's strong hands steadied her when dizziness overtook her only to usher her outside the room immediately. Tough love was her kind of caring she supposed much to Chloe's displeasure.   
  
"Decker still in one piece I see!" The teasing Aussie accent rang familiar in her ears. However having trouble to focus she welcomed the support she was given despite not being able to place who was actually preventing her from falling.   
  
"Give her a few more minutes and she will be completely lucid. But she has enough painkillers and antibiotics in her system to be arrested for meds smuggling so keep an eye on her today." The nurse instructed them.  
  
"Drinking?" A voice which belonged to her overenthusiastic Aussie friend Claire asked. It would suck to have to go to a valediction party without participating in any kind of drinking farewell ritual.  
  
"After twelve hours and with great moderation!" Her curt tone warned them and closed the door behind them a bit too loud for her throbbing head’s liking.  
  
“Headache?” Claire asked.  
  
“Just the throbbing.” She was relieved to not have to deal with the splitting headache she had after the impact, though the painkillers could do only that much.  
  
“I’ll take you to the dorms. A nap will hopefully help you to feel better for tonight.” Claire guided her swiftly through the corridors and when her head hit the pillow she welcomed the oblivion sleep offered her.  
 

* * *

 

**25th of December 2007, 02:43 AM**

**City Beach, Perth, Australia**

 

  
“..-and then she just hit the pole.” Everyone around her roared in laughter at her unfortunate incident earlier that day. To make things worse her ability to talk had been compromised greatly giving away a hilarious nasal effect at her attempts to talk.  
  
“I was just distracted! I looked away for a second and there was a seven feet pole in front of me.” Words came out with great difficulty especially when Dan tried to stifle a new fit of laughter.  
  
A blush spread on her cheeks and for once, she was thankful she had half her face covered by a bandage. Looking at him he was everything her father used to be. A kind man with a sense of justice. Her crush had begun on her very first day at the station after he had saved her from the newbie roughing. She didn’t know much about love, having avoided the subject most often that not but she felt that admiration had given place to something deeper.  
  
“You should make a move tonight” Claire slurred not so quietly beside her.  
  
Having nursed a single hard drink during the whole night, she probably would have taken up the suggestion only if she was pleasantly buzzed by alcohol. She turned to gesture at the small issue of her carelessness and received a snicker in return.  
  
“Glad to amuse you so.” With one more sip, she finished her drink and turned to sulk at the bar trying to avoid the odd starring Bruised cheekbones and bloodshot eyes accompanied by a white bandage was not exactly the flattering appearance she was aiming for a week now.    
  
“She is right you know.” A rich male voice was heard behind her. The bartender handed a beer to the extended strong arm and her mind went conventionally blank.   
  
“You should make a move if you want to.” From the corner of her eye, she saw Dan wink at her and with a suspicious unsteady pace he joined the other men at the stairs leading to the beach.  
  
What could she get from tonight if she just let all her inhabitation for once and followed him? Drunken and at the spur of the moment was not her. Having tip-toed for around him for over three years was her. However just because she wanted to follow him it didn’t mean that she had to take things too far. She doubted that he was overly tipsy thus a well-placed conversation under the influence could start the wheels turning in her favour.  
  
The night was uncommonly dark. The moon was constantly hidden by thick clouds only to grant her enough light to pass unnoticed by her friends to the beach and enjoy the many luminous patches in the sky. With bright artificial lights absent, she could admire what she enjoyed since she was a child. The cold light of stars in the distance as her father used to say. Only for her, they felt uncommonly warm even from that distance.  
  
Male voices could be heard in the distance and called out for Didi. Dan’s childish nickname had stuck after their initiation. She could hardly believe that after today they could be considered runners for the Detective positions back home. It could take years but she was now qualified to get that job when the time came. Dan’s nickname was heard again and by the soft splashing sounds, she knew he had joined the rest for an after midnight swim.   
  
Changing her mind on what she was about to do, she walked aimlessly over the small sand hills, which were partially covered with soft grass. Her toes tingled at every contact with the grass and the sensation just prompted her to continue her walk further away from the bar.  
  
When she had decided that walking had cleared efficiently her head off the romantic nonsense, she spotted a prone figure on the grass looking at the stars above. The legendary, between their friends, floral shirt was the only thing she could distinguish with ease. With half a mind to fly away, her footsteps led her to him. Fighting at her raging insecurities, she plumped ungracefully to the ground next to him.   
  
“Hey…” How was she supposed to begin a conversation with a man at this hour? She heard the body shifting next to her and was glad he was acknowledging her presence somehow.  
  
“This place is great!” Call it bravery or foolishness but taking his advice from earlier she rested her head on his lap. They had spent countless of hours in this position as friends but perhaps after tonight they could try to be something more. A woman could only hope after all.   
  
Abruptly the body underneath her moved and she fell as hard as she could on the moist grass. The male figure had started running away from her fidgeting violently as if trying to remove something that had crawled over him. Knowing Dan, his fear over Australia’s bugs was still going strong.  
  
Amused she ran at his direction and tackled him down as gently as she could. They had figured out quickly that when his paranoia over bugs started a good tackling was the best solution from preventing him setting new running records in the continent.  
  
“Ow, that hurt!” She exclaimed and glared at where she thought his face would be. The jolting no matter how gentle she had planned it to be still reminded her why she was wearing a bandage. The darkness was now more profound than before and looking upwards, the clouds were not going to allow any light coming through anytime soon.  
  
“Ow? Ow?” His thick drawl incredulously hissed in mock seriousness. Playfully she slapped him on his back and felt his body tensing.  
  
He squirmed underneath her and when he was freed from her weight he bolted towards the bar only for her to hear him yelp and then the sound of his heavy body falling on the ground.  
  
“Are you okay?” she asked worrying that this game had gone too far. His high forehead was damp and full of sand. She tried to clean his face and hair with slow movements and for the first time, she could detect a slight curling at his hair. He should forgo hair gel more often if this was the result she marvelled at their softness.   
  
Light graced its presence over them fleetingly and only long enough for her to see a glimmer in his seemingly dark eyes. She could not make out his features but that soft light reflecting from his eyes was drawing her in like the stars which shone brightly above them.  
  
An almost soundless whimper was exhaled by his rapid moving chest distressing her. When he made no attempt to move her and surrendered under her weight on his stomach, she relaxed. She would have never guessed him for a shy guy but here he was almost cowering away from her touch. Perhaps it was the alcohol or the euphoria of finally reaching the point they had been avoiding for months. She knew she felt at least one of the two herself.  
  
Her hands moved over his cheeks where they met with his warm skin. At the contact, she heard his startled gasp The sea salt could be felt rough and giving away when mixed with the remaining water droplets under her fingertips.  
  
“Shhh…” she said soothingly only for him to let out a laugh.  
  
His stubble was still soft and longer than the one she would have expected for an after 5 o’clock shadow. Tracing his chapped lips she wondered how she had missed him worrying his lips during the day. Never losing contact with his increasingly warming flesh, she moved to feel his surprisingly angular noise. 

Everything tonight about him was more inviting and fascinating than before. The shape of his ears and nose, the soft curves of his mouth and the small wrinkles underneath his eyes. Yet the most engaging thing of all was how he took her exploration stoically, almost without drawing a single breath.

Whether it was the moment or how her very soul could not bear to be parted from him just yet, she licked the coarse spot where she had felt the sea salt remains. His body stiffened making her feel bolder. From where this insane bravery was sourcing she didn’t know and yet she embraced it fully when she heard his breath hitch.  
  
Never pushing her away and instead of taking over her advances he simply seemed content to lie underneath her. The only betrayal of his own emotions was the present tight hold he had around her waist. With the same timid movements his hands had encircled her waist, his nose came to nuzzle her cheek.  
  
His awkwardness was unexpected and adorable. At her initiating kissing, she knew he would go as far as she wanted him. How far she was not sure but that night was the beginning of something unique.  
  

* * *

 

**24th of December 2008, 10:56 AM**

**Huntington Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles**

   
It was a sunshiny day as all mornings in Los Angeles usually are, December had not changed that. His hands were resting on the window’s cool casing, nails digging in the old peeling paint. With unfocused eyes, he looked over the traffic outside. Cars were passing undisturbed by the passing pedestrians, probably all out there were trying to purchase their last minute Christmas gifts. Nothing betrayed that just a few floors above them a life was being snatched away from this world.   
  
“Mr Espinoza?” The hesitation was not a good sign. Being a cop for over half a decade now he could detect when a case was reaching a dead end. He turned to see that the man indeed was not delivering any good news.  
  
“Cut to the chase doctor.” His voice was foreign to his ears. Out of all the possibilities he had not expected a decision to be made for him than by him today.  
  
“We are detecting fetal distress…” The doctor’s features twisted checking nervously what Dan knew was Chloe’s report.  
  
“A c-section then?” It was the only logical step deriving from his limited knowledge. That morning had begun with some uncomplicated labour pains and in less than an hour ago everything had gone down hill.  
  
“Not an option.” That was not the answer he was expecting.  
  
“The child is stuck, a light haemorrhage is in progress and we have no visual of what we are dealing with.” His frantic pace of listing all the issues was not what he would have expected from a medical professional.  
  
“The are two possibilities. Either the child will be released in the next contractions without putting too much pressure at the bleeding vessels…-“ That hesitation was back. The one which would often kill you on the field of his work.  
  
“Or?” His mouth was dry and splinters were making their way under his nails.  
  
“Or the contractions will lead to an uncontrollable haemorrhage, which we will know from where once we operate but the fetus will most probably not make it.”  
  
Over seven months ago he had been tempted to bolt. With only five months into their relationship, a pregnancy had not been welcome news to him. Having discussed the possibility of progressing to something more over the years, parenthood had scared him for a very long time. Now he didn’t know if he would experience what he had tried to avoid for so long.  
  
Their relationship has turned drastically after their training in Australia. A mystery which still eluded him. At their flight back to L.A. a few days before the New Year’s Eve she had claimed his lips into a deep kiss and just like that he had found himself with a gorgeous girlfriend.  
  
What had started as great relationship soon started to get rocky. Chloe was growing restless with no apparent reason, he had his doubts about being able to commit to her, to a family. Then the news of a baby had them in a tough spot where all options were discussed until she had smiled calmly at him and told him it was an easy decision really. The baby would stay, he was welcome to do to either. Now it seemed that the baby’s fate might not have been on either of their hands anymore.  
  
“Mr Espinoza?” The doctor brought him back to the harsh reality where only time had control over the outcome. He would never know what his expression gave away that day to prompt the doctor to give him an encouraging smile of no hope.   
  
“Pray. Pray to whichever upper power gives you comfort or is willing to listen.” Without any other options left, he did just that. 

 

* * *

 

**24th of December 2008, 13:28 PM (About two hours later)**

**Huntington Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles**

   
_' Not so soon darling’_  
  
Dan and her mother were both bent over the small cabinet which would be left in her room for the next hour. She was sure that the baby was sleeping the whole time and had little care for the two adults who were fawning over her.  
  
“She has Chloe’s cheekbones but that’s all I can see in her.” Her mother was closely watching her daughter for any similarity to their family.  
  
Cloe knew that it was not so much over finding a feature of hers but something from the grandfather the child would never meet. A small genetic legacy that would perhaps bring back a small piece of the man her mother had lost almost a decade ago.  
  
“She is too young, Mum.” They all had expected the little Decker-Espinoza to come out blue-eyed and fair skinned and yet fate had played them well.  
  
A swarthy complexion graced the baby who was lying in that cabinet. Her soft black curls were as wild as they were the minute after she had exited her womb. She could have said that their eyes had the exact same shape but the almond outline was not fully hers. Neither were her soulful dark eyes. Whom that child resembled was not clear but she was obviously unconditionally loved.  
  
Dan cradled the small form in his rough hands and carried the bundle to her. Penny had decided that it was time for the big announcement in her circle which left them to enjoy some privacy before the baby was taken back to the nursery.  
  
“She looks nothing like us does she?” He placed the baby in her arms with the same observation she couldn't shake since she had seen her daughter all bloody and screaming her lungs out. Tracing her index over her child’s face she frowned at the familiarity of her features.  
  
“Dan if we weren’t in that undercover assignment for over two months at the time, I believe you would have asked me something entirely different.” It had taken him a long time to warm up at her decision to keep the baby which had hurt more than it should.  
  
“Nonsense, she just resembles my father’s side that’s all.” The baby cooed a yawn and resettled in her arms.  
  
“Dan my offer still stands. If you don’t want this…” This child was her lifeline. She could not explain why she was so attached to her since the very first moment she found out about her but there was a feeling which ran deeper than a mother’s love.  
  
“She is my child.” He whispered while brushing tenderly the baby’s curls with his fingers.  
  
“There was never a doubt about that Dan.” She was so tired and it had nothing to do with a complicated birth just two hours prior.  
  
“I prayed for her Chloe.” The emotion in his voice told her how the unexpected complications had affected him.  
  
“I prayed for her and that alone makes her mine just as my flesh and blood in her.” With a newfound determination, he hugged her gently and placed a kiss on her hair. Closing her eyes, Chloe relished finally on the complete joy she should have experienced since she woke up, when a soft murmur was heard again.  
  
_‘Not so soon darling’_  
  
“When I close my eyes, I think I can hear your voice.” The admission was out before she could stop herself. Biting her lip, with eyes still closed, she felt him shift. Opening her eyes she raised her head to look at his questioning eyes.  
  
“At the birthing room, before I woke up and just now I keep hearing the same thing over and over again.” She could remember that velvety sound which she had associated with Dan a long time ago laughing underneath her. A happy memory that painted her dreams in times of need.   
  
“And what do I say?” The humour in his voice was back but the melodic tone she was expecting was not.  
  
“Not so soon darling. Silly huh?” resting her head on his shoulder she felt him shrug and she supposed it was silly. A wistful thought perhaps.  
  
“I’m starving what about you?” The change in the mood was immediate she gave him a smile and he assured her with a grin that something interesting would come her way. Not long after he had left to bring them some food her mother came back in still holding her phone.  
  
The affection with which she looked down at the sleeping infant was rarely there anymore for her but she had come to accept that.   
  
“Dan is a good man but do you see this going for the long run?” For a daughter who swore to never become her mother, she had to admit that they had the same train of thought.  
  
She had based a whole relationship on what she had felt for less than an hour on a beach than for throughout the years she was harbouring the biggest crush on him or the months they were actually together. It was an impulsion and she could no longer afford more. Logic was telling her that a child needed her father and she desperately wanted her daughter to have the same relationship Chloe had with hers while growing up.  
  
“We have known each other for years, I had a crush on him since I met him-“ All the excuses were masked with the same eerie logic she had accounted them with since the first clouds appeared in the relationship.  
  
“A crush and love is not always the same thing. Even love itself from one to another is not always the same thing.” Her mother warned her and she could honestly say that she had felt that love. Many degrees of that love in fact.  
  
Their first time was something which had failed to recreate or feel again but it had existed and for that, all the other kinds of love would have to count for something. Therefore, she was sure there was enough love there for them she just had to find it again. Until then a compromise did not sound that bad for the expected reward.  
  
“I love him and Daddy would have loved him too.” Her reasoning as always returned back to her father. He would have loved his granddaughter and certainly, would have liked Dan.  
  
“We were always prepared for the day you would turn out like me. But never for the one when you would do anything not to.”  
  
As a child, she had wished for a moment of clarity for her mother. That clarity though had come at the most inappropriate moment and to successfully challenge everything that screamed stability for once.  
  
“He is a good man and we have a child together. I believe there is enough there to make this work.” For the small newborn which was stirring in her arms, she had to believe that a life with Dan would be enough. Where that emotion was found once, it could be found again. This time around she just had to perhaps patiently grow it. 

“Your father would have approved the Devil himself if you loved him, honey.”

The loud inhuman screech coming from such a little thing startled her. Caressing her button nose did little to pacify the child. Hesitantly she then guided her small mouth to latch on for the first time she felt the uncomfortable probing of her little monster. The breastfeeding consultant had obviously underestimated her daughter's appetite.   
  
Helping her daughter settle on feeding she brushed her small features trying for the first time to actively see what her daughter had inherited from her. She could not see or feel any familiar attributes she could have passed to her. Yet what her mind could not grasp was the little details she had explored so throughout a year ago. Perhaps she had more of Dan in her than they had originally thought.  
  
“By the way this little one screams she very well could be...” Penny muttered looking over the feeding newborn.  
  
“Be what?” She asked finally without much care for her mother’s bothersome inputs.  
  
“The Devil’s child.” Her mother lightly laughed at the loud sigh a young Beatrice exhaled before resuming her attention to her lunch.

_‘Not so soon darling’_

* * *

 

**24th of December. 12:37 PM**

**Huntington Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles.**

  
Small dark eyes challenged him behind the glass. Their awareness and innocence reminded him another of a set of eyes he had seen on his firstborn. The day he had been created alongside Michael was a momentous occasion. So young and curious of everything he could get his hands into. So very different from his brothers since the very beginning.  

He had known Samael would have been a remarkable creation, since, his first spark was manifested before his actual birth. His remarkableness had caught him off guard. His child was always set on surprising him. Children tended to do that he presumed. Bending closer to the small fidgeting creature the similarities went beyond everything he had imagined.  
  
The mother should have bled out. The child should have never drawn its first breath. Samael had unknowingly set his game board and a plan was being drafted. A plan that God himself could not control.  
  
This morning he had come to take two souls only to witness an unexpected miracle Himself. He had hoped since the beginning and yet they had met too early, they had set once again their own pace. What in the name of His son was happening?

 

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs Used for the Entry:

These three songs are what I have been listening in order to get out the bulk of the plot.

I needed an uplifting song and a weird slow one. I think I chose well.

[Keep Me Warm - The Downtown Fiction](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNqlQ7fGP10) 

[Pretty Things - Take That](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yqXMzNiR00)

[Healer - Instrumental Theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auDRWLiN9po) (Yes, I watch these kinds of series too.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) My main objective with this story is to strip the characters off of all their unnecessary dias ex machina moments. I want to get to their raw human emotions and explore them according to the connections my crazy imagination provided me with. I’ll ask the hard questions, I’ll provide the awkward situations which the show has not addressed as of yet. I’ll make sure to push mine and Lucifer’s limits. 
> 
> Relationships are not easy therefore I plan to follow the show on that. I don’t assume that love comes easily or due to a quick physical adventure once upon a time. So far I have read stories where everything magically resolves. My characters will have to work for that really hard and still I don’t expect them to get their catharsis just because the story has to end at some point. But we will see how things go in the near future. 
> 
> Finally, Angst is not just emotional pain and the occasional wound-shot. If I manage to deliver what I have already drafted for this story, it’s going to be one of my biggest feats and a hell of a ride. What secretly worries me though is my command over the language sometimes.
> 
> 2) Also please remember that this is a mystery so certain things are not mentioned for a reason. No matter how simple things may look, I promise you I go with the dual mystery pattern. The reader knows a secret the character does not but that's not the main wheel that moves this story. It would be a bummer to just give away the whole thing from the very first chapter.


	4. Life: A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Life: A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings
> 
> It has been almost two years since Lucifer made it to L.A. In October of 2012 intending to keep his promise to a dear friend he has to purchase 300 pumpkins. During his quest for the perfect pumpkins, he gets to meet a little kid and finds a very valuable automobile.

 

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

__

* * *

 

Quick Timetable 

2008 One year after Perth and Beatrice's birth. 

2010 Lucifer comes to Los Angeles

2012 Trixie is almost 4 years old

* * *

**Life: A Quick Succession of Busy Nothings**

**October 2012, 9:12 AM**

**Los Angeles**

 

The splashing did not go unnoticed. Cringing, with every step that got engulfed in the mud he finally made it to the middle of the field. The rain had spoiled his morning stroll today and the place he was taking it was admittedly not the streets of L.A. No, the crisp air and the fresh earthy smell of the scattered plants around him, could not be compared to the city or his luxurious lifestyle.

“That one seems interesting.” Maze’s dispassionate voice did little to hide her annoyance on being brought in this place so early. Even worse, for an errant, she thought it was beneath them to carry.

He swiped a hand over the coarse yellow flesh and he had to admit that he knew no better than her. It was one of these rare instances where his desire to learn more about the world around him had matched his desire to please a friend.

“I think we come a tad bit short on knowing what constitutes a proper pumpkin Maze.” His eyes skipped around the field they had been pointed out by the owner only to be surrounded by mud and the overly large yellow and orange vegetables.

The state of his shoes could only be guessed. His socks were soggy and the thick remains of earth around his trouser’s hem was not what he had expected. If a fine pair of trousers was to be soiled he was expecting it to be during other kinds of activities and not while walking around a farm of all places.

“Change of plans?” she asked hiding her amusement at his lost confidence. Her lord simply could not pick the right pumpkins. The Devil being disconcerted over a vegetable. Oh, the Hellish anguish!

“I will give him a damn cheque and he will deliver the best." With a determined pace, he squelched his way back to the barn where he had left the farm workers. Only now he understood their sceptical stares. Italian leather was not meant to dive into mushy grounds.  

The morbidly obese man was finally found behind the barn feeding what Lucifer believed to be a hideous flock of stymphalian hens. Keeping a safe distance he scowled at the jollity in the middle-aged man's eyes. They had all known what it would become of his shoes then. That was unforgivable but he had promised to deliver from the Underwood Farms and that was exactly what he would do. 

"Found what you were looking for mister?" A gruff voice from the morning's humidity questioned and the man deliberately threw some corn towards him making the screeching creatures run after it. 

"Let us try another route." His charming face wavered only for a second when he spotted a chicken coming a bit too close for his liking but forced it up again. 

“I'll give you a cheque and a delivery address on a card. You in return will deliver 300 presentable pumpkins of three different sizes. Large, medium and small. Do we have a deal?” His shoe unsuccessfully kicked some dirt towards the ravenous pecking birds in an attempt to discourage them coming closer. 

With his trademark movement fluidity, he took out a card and with animated vividness clicked his pen ready to sign whatever amount the man would demand, for his oversized berries. Life would have been so much easier if humans had picked raspberries for this season instead of these orange monstrosities. If the man’s slowing movement meant anything, Lucifer had finally caught his attention. 

"For a moment there I thought you were one of these corporate dads, trying to get a hold of a pumpkin to avoid the trip with the little ones. We get a lot of those lately. Peter by the way." Tha man extended a callous hand which Lucifer had to take a calming breath before he shook it. 

“Delighted Peter and rest assured if little ones of mine were running around, I would advise you to get familiar with the Apocalypse of John. Just in case..."

"I know what you mean." If his voice was hoarse, the laugh Lucifer was now hearing was rivalling the painfully stifled screams of Hell. 

"I honestly doubt it!" With hands clasped together to tame his temperament, he delivered his ironic comment with a hissed intake of breath which Peter thought to be good natured humour. 

“Do you also want small decorative ones?” Lucifer could see the man’s eyes trailing something behind him and when he followed his gaze it was the most terrifying thing he had encountered this day, yet that is. A yellow bus.

“Ideally…” With eyes glued to the bus’ windows, he could see small heads barely high enough to reach the window and take a peek outside. It was their blubbering voices coming from inside which eventually brought up an emotion he rarely felt. Terror. Children always had this kind of effect on him.

“I’ll go inside to rearrange the appointed field for the kids. They are going to pick their pumpkins you see. Just avoid getting too close to the petting zoo, kids go crazy over there.” Peter left him alone with the chickens which were running behind the man with the empty bucket.

Over the hill, small children excitedly swarmed the place behind the fence. The chicken wire was the only security Lucifer had from the intents of their malicious little hands. If anything could be guessed by their disturbing costumes for the approaching holiday, the majority of them was not to be trifled with.

Keeping his distance, he rested briefly on the wire behind him. Shooing the feathered menaces away proved to be unsuccessful but the alternative was keeping him count his blessings this morning.

“Mister!” Peter hollered from the barn’s door.

“I will take the kids to the fields wait for me in the barn for the order.” Well, that was helpful.

The teachers gathered the little monsters in groups, leading them towards the barn and that's when he started planning. Estimating quickly his probability to get laid with one of them this morning, unfortunately, everything pointed also to the additional risk of kids roaming around. Taxing little cockblockers they were.

With the coast finally clear he kicked gently some fluffy yellow chicks away from the door and got out. Just where was Maze to have his back on this? This was highly unlike her. Then again with the admirably cute hands around the farm, she must have found something more interesting to do, Well, good for her he supposed. Unfortunate though for him.

It was a light giggle which eventually froze him on the spot and all thoughts of his treacherous demon returned. Maze would pay for this. Looking back at the wired fences there was nothing amiss. Except from the animals, this part of the farm was deserted from any human presence and most importantly human young presence. Another giggle disrupted effectively his illusion of solitude.

Opposed to every inner scream for self-preservation his soaked feet moved towards the source of the laughter.

“No!” a squeaky voice squealed running at the far end of the low animal pen effectively bringing the small human in Lucifer’s view.

It was a scrawny little thing and seemingly harmless but aeons of experience told him that youngsters were never innocent. Dressed in black clothing, with an absurd handmade long cape and a matching shiny black helmet the child gently chased away the furry kids. Two of the most despicable existences on this planet and he had encountered both in the same day.

“No! Baaaad doggy!” Small hands pushed the equally small newborn goats from munching the dark textile of the cape. At every attempt to get out of the pen the child was drawn back by the ravenous sucking and biting animals.

It was not that he had a care for the child’s distressing sounds after its third try to climb the wired fence. No. Nor was his secret appreciation at the outfit the small human had picked. His resolve was settled according to him when the proverb the enemy of my enemy is my friend took a new kind of meaning. Humans, after all, were more enjoyable than goats even when roasted according to some demon claims.

Twisting his right hand around the chomped cape and securing a hold at the pant’s elastic waistband he raised effortlessly the small body in the air.

“‘et go of me!” It was a demanding little snot. Snorting he let go not caring where and how _it_  would land.

Fixing his vest around his hips, he closed the first buttons of his jacket in an attempt to regain some of his self-respect. Sure the shoes were still sploshing under the wet turf, his hair was more dishevelled than ever before and there was a cricket following him if the splattered noises of small feet behind him were anything to go by. And yet he felt oddly calm.

“Luce!” If his trouser’s cuffs were destroyed, the knotted handful which little fingers had at his left seam, now discouraged him from ever seeking any kind of professional cleaning help.

“I take a wild guess that you mean Luke.”

“Yeah, Luce!”

“You are not really articulate are you now?”

Towering the child did not have the effect he hoped for. Behind the large Darth Vader helmet, he was sure that a pair of eyes were looking him in mocking disrespect than anything else.

“To the barn child, in my experience, your kind does not fare well out of the pack.”

The barn was exactly like he would expect it from its outside appearance. Old, desperately in need of a new lick of white paint and some organisation would certainly not hurt. From packs of hay to odd shaped metallic parts littered on the ground, this place screamed of humanity. Dirty and unbelievably messed up.

“Look at that!” The ruffling noise of a sheet being tugged picked his interest on what the child had found. Something deadly for _it_ hopefully. He was starting to regret siding with humanity instead with the goats.

The finding was unexpected. Aside from a much-needed waxing, the beauty of the automobile could not be denied. Black with bold edges and a personality to die for. His fingers trailed the sleek curves of the vehicle admiring the well-restored leather of the interior. An interior now occupied by a hopping baboon.

“Shoes off!” He hissed. Although the hopping stopped and small muddy shoes went flying over his shoulder. The kid did not show any indication of being intimidated.

“Luce!” The ever-excited voice announced and jiggling toes were put up for him to inspect.

“Socks as well. They are wet!” What was he doing in here? Well, he just had to save this poor marvel of mechanics and optionally make sure that the anklebiter was good enough to wear to be returned to its pack. 

The socks did not have the luck of the shoes. One of them landed with a very undignified splash on the hood of the car. 

“Scoot over…” The door opened easily under his fingers but that was to be expected if a child could do it. The leather still smelled of a high-quality polishing substance and the wheel stirred beautifully. Yet it was the miles that confirmed what he had suspected all along.

“Snack?” The sound of a zipper opening should have surprised him if not for the snack bag been thrown under his nose.

“Who prepares your snacks little abomination?” His nostrils sniffed the content of the bag and if he was honest after coming to earth gluttony made sense.

Double chocolate fudge cakes and the best bottles of whiskey were meticulously restocked every week. The first for his newly discovered sweet tooth, the second for a reason he was not willing to acknowledge.

“Daddy.” Darth Vader replied with an obvious shrug and sneaked a yellow puff under the helmet.

“Wouldn’t that be easier if you took off the helmet?” Caving in he took a handful of snacks and popped a couple in his mouth. The taste was mild but they had something sort of addictive in them. A kick in the taste if you like.

The helmet emphatically nodded a no making Lucifer mimic the child’s previous shrug and take one more handful from the snack bag.

“Let me guess, I’m your father?” A slight shudder run down his spine in what he could only say it was the revolt he felt over the term _father_.

“Are you coming to the dark side?” The all familiar giggling was back.

“If you get me more of these… Cool ranch puffs. We may have a deal.” The snack bag was taken from his reach and he frowned.

Lifting his eyebrows for eyes which probably could not even see his amusement he felt peculiarly warm and fuzzy. He believed that he had finally found the savoury snack his heart desired. How extraordinary it was to be derived from the offering of a spawn.

The creak of the door found both man and child startled by the sudden disruption. A flushed Peter appeared swiping his neck and forehead with a tattered cloth Lucifer would have sworn it had been used for the greased parts of the car.

“M’sorry mister preschoolers are the worst. To get one pumpkin they managed to smash at least two others.” By the tick on his neck and the slightly widening eyes, he didn’t seem to be very pleased finding Lucifer in the convertible.

“This car costs around $70.000, with its barbaric restoration, the repaint and the thankfully not retouched miles. Also, it was white and came with a roof, was it not?”

Misdirection was Lucifers favourite pastime since a long time ago. The truth was though that something in this car was drawing him. What devil wanted, he charmed it out of others. No trickery, simply some bewitching manners and an honest to Father deal would do.

“We all have hobbies mister…-“

“Hobbies that go hanging around at vulture auctions?” He knew exactly where this car had been found and why such a drastic make-over had been required.

“I see…” The man’s eyes narrowed and with a lick of his lips, Lucifer was sure he was considering his options.

“I’ll give you 200 grand no questions asked.”

Something at his bargaining must have appealed to the nuisance sitting next to him as it passed him the snack bag. Popping the last puffs he relished at the greedy glint in the man’s eyes. A glint he had come to know so well on the living souls, during his stay in this place.

“Throw forty bucks more and you will get a pair of clean boots to drive it home today.” Mission accomplished.

“I’ll make it a hundred and you will throw and pair for the kid as well.” The tasty snack had to be repaid somehow after all.

“The kid?” Coming closer Peter saw the child sitting with its legs crossed next to the formidable man who had just bought his convertible Corvette.

“Aren't you from the Tulip’s preschool boy?” The nod of the overly large star wars helmet made him sigh and rub his neck in frustration. At least the teachers had not noticed yet.

“We have a deal mister. I’ll bring you the boots and then notify one of the teachers. Just stay there.” His displeasure was obvious. He had lost a very valuable car for a fair price and almost a young child a few mere weeks before the busiest time of the year for his farm. Halloween.

It didn’t take long for Peter to come back and throw the boots in Lucifer’s lap.  A new wave of displeasure crashed him at the prospect of wearing a pair of shabby looking, yellow rainboots. He had little knowledge of what frivolous things were worth but this was definitely an insult!

Reaching for his chequebook he scribbled a generous amount. Scowling he passed the cheque to the man’s filthy hands swallowing a bile of disgust at Peter’s giddy expression on discovering an extra grand over the agreed amount.

Taking out his muddy shoes and soggy socks he could not contain his grimace at the contact of his feet with the slippery cheap plastic.

“What are you waiting?” The boy, as Peter had assumed, was sitting bewildered over the brand new shiny green boots.

“They have these.” Taking one of the boots in the air by its laces, the child obviously had a problem.

Lucifer secured his boots and with an inner groan did the unthinkable. Positioning the child on his hip he got out of the car and placed it on the car’s trunk. Leaving the little inconvenience there he fished the boots from the car seat and proceeded to make sense on how to put them on the whelp.

“Pretty car.” Small fingers traced the hard metal as he had done upon his first inspection.

“Good eye there, but it’s not just a pretty car.” With feet always jiggling he found it difficult to push one of them inside the boot and when he did they came right off again.

“It’s a 62’ Corvette and not just any Corvette.” The boots were not agreeing with the petite feet but the child was staying still when they were slipping inside. Who could blame it? The child's feet were freezing under his usually warm hands.

“No?” An innocent question but that was why he had paid three times over the amount any other dealership would have demanded. If of course, they didn’t know what he did.

“No. That’s Alan Shepard’s car. The only custom 62’ Corvette in existence and that man got to butcher it.”

His finding was extremely precious but to violate a whole car just so to remain unnoticed for what it was, that was a great shame. At the silence of the child he realised that the probability of a little tyke to know who Shepard was, it was rather low.

“Shapard was the first American in space and at some point, he received this car for his services. This car carries a lot of history spawn.”

Pushing both boot soles on his stomach to prevent them from slipping again, he managed to get to the tying the laces part. No matter how tight he was tying though the child’s feet swam inside the shoes.

“Space? Like Luce and Vadee?” The awed tone was there. For a different reason but Lucifer was pleased to hear it.

“What do you desire child? You want to go to space?” He refrained from using his usual persuasive _charm_  behind the question but he was curious on what a child would ever want at such a young age.

“Mars!” The excited squeal echoed in the small space of the helmet making Lucifer unconsciously smile at the silliness that this small human possessed.

“Be its president for all I care. You are ready so off you go!” Setting the child down he opened the barn’s door and waved at Peter.

“Let’s keep an appropriate Devil-child distance from now on kid. Got it?” He never turned to see the child nod and wobble towards him due to the oversized boots which was wearing.

With a pat on his right tight, the little one walked back to the door and as carefully as it could towards Peter and a frantic teacher.

“Useless humans.” Lucifer muttered and spotted the third figure behind the teacher and Peter.

Maze strolled unaffected by the drama around her and gave Lucifer a grin which could only mean that someone had just eaten a canary. Pun intended. 

“Took you long enough.” Lighting a cigarette he offered her a drag which she gladly took. The blue plastic bag she was holding joyfully between them made him snort at what was poking out of it. 

“The bus driver had skills.” She winked at him and he chuckled at her enthusiasm for exhibitionism at every taken opportunity.

“Well we will not be needing him, we got new means of transportation.” Flicking his thumb for the ash to drop he pointed at the black Corvette.

“And the Rolls?” She eyed at the car with great appreciation. It was not an expensive car by no means but it oozed what her Lord did. A timeless masculinity and perhaps even desire if it was possible.

“Yours for the take.” Finishing his cig he ignored Maze’s look on discovering his newfound generosity and smiled uncomfortably at the approaching man.

“By the way, expecting a distant call from relatives down below on the 31st?” He asked her pointing the ouija board which was slowly tearing the bag at each swing. 

“I also have a deck in here if you are game. I had to get something out of the gift shop’s cashier.” Throwing the bud on the ground, he shook his head. She never failed to amuse him something that the man who was standing now in front of him had stopped doing for the best part of the day. 

“Deed, keys and the receipt for your order mister.” Peter was court and had every right to be in his mortal opinion.

Uneasiness could be felt all over the farm and the smile the man was sporting was not by any means pacifying. Neither was the grin he had gotten from the little girl in the Darth Vader’s costume once she had removed the helmet. Both smiles were chilling in their own way sprinkled with a hint of sinisterness. Halloween was fast approaching indeed.

 

* * *

 

The artificial flowerily fragrance could not fool him from the truth. Spring was still too far away. Nothing could replace the hint of sweet scents that came from the San Fernando’s valley down to the basin of Los Angeles during the early days of spring. Just for these precious few days of early spring, he had made sure to tear down the walls around his penthouse and equip it with retractable windows.

Autumn was finding him wary of the upcoming winter. No flakes of any kind, may them be ash or snow, would ever be seen falling outside his window and for that he was grateful. Yet in the seclusion of his personal elevator at times like this one, the suffocation he was holding at bay while fixing his cufflinks or twisting his ring three times for luck was becoming too much to bare.

Inhaling more of the sweet imitation of orchids, he knew that once the doors opened, Lucifer would be back. Sarcastic, regal and imperishable. What would also be back would be a tiny segment of Samael. The one who craved contact and in his deliciously twisted form, sexual gratification.

With the doors open he tossed away the offending pair of yellow footwear not really concerned on where they would land. His toes freed from their confines were not in a hurry to walk away from the chilliness of the green Italian marble. Washing them though was a high priority.

“Awake before eight and with a half empty glass sitting on the counter? I thought the apocalypse was upon us.”

His songstress guest had passed unnoticed even when laid comfortably on his black leather couch.

“A deal is a deal, my dear.” The woman on the couch patiently waited for him to fill a clean glass and take a seat opposite to hers.

Lucifer ignored her curious glance on his dishevelled state. Hair curling, mud smudges everywhere on his suit and a very prominent hand shaped one on his vest. She would have joked for getting some action al fresco if the size was not so small.

“And what kind of a deal included to resort you in this fucked up state?”

The ringlets of her blond hair bounced slightly at the sharp turn of her head. Three inches covered in mud and bare toes was not exactly what she was expecting to find. However, everyone at the upper side knew how adventurous this establishment’s host could be. There were simply no limits for him to cross.

“We have three weeks to Halloween and do I need to remind you what we have scheduled for that day?”

Seemingly like he had no worries in the world, the man crossed his legs and sipped his drink. If she had a better eye for detail, she would have known that what he was currently drinking, was one of his most precious pieces of his amber liquid collection and also one of the strongest. Therefore there was nothing common of him drinking this particular whiskey at this hour and in this state.

“You went to this length to get what I made you promise as a joke?”

His calmness was rarely eerie but in moments of stillness, he was oozing a foreboding warning at the people around him. Much like his salacious nature he had the ability to set boundaries and obliterate them with the same effortless smirk.

“You never joke with the Devil darling. A deal is a deal no matter how nonsequential you think it is when you make it.”

With little humility he unbuttoned his vest and shirt while moving lower with the expertise of years behind him, he undid his buckle, button and lowered his fly. Then setting his glass on the crystal table he simply disposed all his clothes apart from his open white shirt.

He could not ignore her sultry gaze over his torso or what was tucked in his underwear. He was used on how humans were perceiving him and it suited him just fine but this afternoon a quick escapade with one of his favourites was not what he was after.

“Is that an invitation?” The husky tone matched her dilated pupils. All the signs were there and for once they were unwelcome.

“I think you got too much out of me my love and it has to stop. We need you elsewhere remember?”

There was that smirk again. Honest, open and undisputed. He had never used her and there was a promise that he never would.

“Three weeks.” Her voice was suddenly dull and stricken by the loss of a guaranteed enjoyable encounter.

“Three weeks but I require a favour of my own.” Reaching his discarded jacket he retrieved from the inner pocket a small crumbled paper and setting it on the table he tried to unwrinkle it with his now empty glass.

“Is that what I think it is?” At the probability of what that piece of paper held she was now breathless. She had bargained, set deals and pleaded for this only to be offered to her as a favour.

“I’ll take care of all the copies and their retraction, the fees and everything the comes with this decision if you accept Delilah.”

The paper slid over the smooth surface under the direction of his long right index. Knowing him he had everything ready regardless of her decision.

_‘The subtle grace of gravity, the heavy weight of stone’_

“This is dark stuff Lucifer.” The lyrics were not simple nor was the meaning behind them. She could have asked him on what he meant with every verse and still, he would have shrugged and called it a take it all or leave it package.

“But I can work with that… Do you have the music as well?” He didn’t seem to listen to her. His eyes were fixed on the baby grand that filled the room behind them. Even if he didn’t have it at first, he definitely had the music now.

“I have the music and the two verses. You can fill a third if you like for originality. Mind you, though, that it will be the first and the last time of me to ask you such a thing as a favour or otherwise.” His tone was hesitant, nothing like the man she knew for the past two years.

“So you feel generous then? I’m touched.” Her mocking was received by a pained smile which she had never seen Lucifer wear before.

“I feel ironically somewhat paternal today Delilah can we leave it at that?” The bleakness had set on his features. For a man so cheerful most of his acquaintances would have never guessed where his mood could lead him. She was sure that even scratching the surface would not suffice on taking a glimpse of who Lucifer Morningstar was. 

“Give me a reason, an emotion to hide behind this and to write you the ending of the lyrics you gave me.” With the fireplace switched off she was curious on how comfortable he seemed to be with only his underwear and shirt on.

His movements when he got up to refill his glass from the same delicate crafted bottle were not affected by the chill she was drilling her skin at the moment.

“There are two things a man will never forget my dear. His first shag companion and his first love.” Vulnerability never suited the man and yet that was what he was laying before her to see.

If it was not for the emotion she had to deliver with the words he had entrusted her with, she doubted she would have ever seen this side of Lucifer.

“Let me guess, she was the one who broke your heart and made you to the womaniser you’re today.” Many speculations could be heard at the far ends of Lux's corners.

His wealth had long ago bored them but his open nature to sex and pleasure had been the material of myths and endless gossip.

“The first is a mystery. The second… was lost long ago. Neither though had anything to do with me exploring desire the human way.” And his walls were securely back up.

It was this kind of frailty he could not afford to expose not even to Maze. The Devil was not supposed to care. But when did the Devil started to exist, he often wondered.

“Good try there mister but back to the song. It’s too dark but sweet.” Delilah was still young and somewhat pure. She had, after all, spent an admirable amount time wrapped in his linens. But today he could see again what he had so desperately tried to leave behind.

“There was a time when I was afraid of only one thing, the Darkness. Look at me now darling, I’m practically enveloped in it.” The clouds had returned over the L.A. basin and the air smelled of the impending rain.

Somewhere behind the words and the music, an unwilling thought escaped. That was just enough for him to give a dry chuckle under Delilah’s questioning gaze and down the rest of his drink faster than he could swallow. Yet even the fit of short coughs did not liberate him from the innocent thought concerning the tiny owner of an overly large pair of green boots.

 

* * *

**January 25, 2016. 4:49 AM**

**Los Angeles**

 

There was nothing amiss on how this open space before her should be. It was arranged for the lustful crowds Lux was famous for in Los Angeles. It reeked of alcohol and desire except for the accompanying heavy musk of sweat she would have expected. That was something which she was accustomed on smelling at places such as this one. Establishments like Lux just came with the lingering stink of cramped bodies in the air for hours if not days, after a busy night of _entertaining_. Still, nothing of the sort could be detected in the air of this bar tonight.    

Searching for her witness she found him absorbed on hitting the piano keys. There was no grief darkening his face, no remaining wetness from the loss. There was not even the usual shock most people carried for days after watching a person being shot in front of them much less a friend. All that could betray a flickering emotional investment with the young woman under the bloodied sheet outside, was on the top of the onyx instrument which was occupying the centre of the club. A neat scotch next to and ashtray fuming by a burning cigar was all that gave away that this was a difficult time. 

His clothes showed no worse for wear after the shooting which she found weird. His light grey shirt was impeccably pressed with a crisp open collar. The choice of a vest she assumed was a dressing code requirement for the piano player and it hugged his torso sinfully while he moved to get a small sip out of his drink every once in a while. The only thing he ruined his flawless appearance were his carelessly raised sleeves. 

"Lucifer Morningstar. Is that, uh, a stage name or something?"

"God-given, I'm afraid. You know, you look familiar. Have we met before?" he chuckled at his pun and the following pick up line and stopped worrying the keys. 

"Yeah, five minutes ago." She had to know that this statement was going to be infuriating and yet nothing had ever prepared her for the eloquent narcissistic man in the middle of this bar.

His playful but tired eyes roamed her figure and a sense of familiarity enfolded her.

"Now, are you sure that we haven't met? I could swear I've seen you naked. Have we had sex?" His insistence was admiring. Hitting on a police detective in the middle of the crime investigation was beyond brave. It was moronically aggravating for a woman with a gun.

"We're done here." She had nothing more to ask a man with average balls and a huge ego. 

"Uh, Detective, wait! Someone out there needs to be punished. We're not done!" 

"Yeah. Yeah, we are."

With a last glance at the man who had gone back to sit on the bar's piano bench, she climbed up the stairs to meet a sour looking Dan. 

"Was he sleeping with her?" She asked hurriedly. That man was suave with women. He had this self-possessed entitlement for all the universe around him which was charming but his flirting was that of a manwhore. She had met her fair-share once upon a Hot-tub movie. 

"No, on the contrary." The words were filled with the same doubt she was feeling. It wasn't a gut feeling by far but she found it hard to believe he had not made a pass on their victim. 

"I find that hard to believe. Mature musician approaching a hot, famous singer and nothing happens?" She had seen how desperate artists could leech on people when they believed it could grant them their big break. She had her mother to thank for that lesson. 

"He is the owner of Lux actually. According to all reports for the past four years, he had been nothing if not paternally protective over her. He was the one to help her break into the music scene. No monetary exchanges, no sex and no rights over her work, although..."

Was that why he was seeking punishment then? She had not been his meal-ticket. He had been hers and he had embraced it more than she had originally cared to admit. At least someone had cared for the girl even if it had been him. 

"Although?" She hated to be wrong and yet that _although_ might have worthed more than the momentary positive light she had graced over the man. 

"He is listed under instrument's player and lyricist for one of her first songs. Again no rights were ever demanded he even signed complete ownership to Delilah before the disk was even released." With no further explanation, he gave her the report which had been drafted in the past hour and walked her to her car. 

"It's your turn to pick her up today." The little girl was still sleeping on the back of the car. At her hasty departure from the house, she didn't have the time to call for a sitter and as such an officer had to keep an eye on her locked car while she was investigating the murder. 

"I'll be there. Honest!" She knew that her frown had betrayed her.

Dan's promises were never guaranteed they would be carried out. Exhaling the cool air she unlocked the car and relaxed at the warmth inside. The report was clean cut. The victim and the witness had a platonic relationship for the past four years and he had been nothing but supportive of her. At the end of the report, she read Dan's _although_. 

As quietly as she could she opened the glove compartment and took out the only CD she ever cared to keep in the car since she had an additional copy at home. It had soothed her through difficult hours thus making this case a heartbreaking one for her. Only to for the creator of her solace, to be an arrogant ass. All these years assuming it was Delilah, and tonight she had expected to mourn someone. She did in a way but that person was at least not laying on the curb surrounded by glass and blood.

He was inside the bar right across from her car. He was probably still sitting on the piano's bench and softly was hitting some notes if not the same, that could be heard in her car aiding her daughter's slumber ease with each line, with each played key. They were also the same notes she had unaware interrupted him from playing before questioning him. 

Lucifer Morningstar was a delusional gifted man, one that she hoped to never meet again. What she unknowingly craved though was something entirely different. 

 

_'Shadows all around you as you surface from the dark_

_Emerging from the gentle grip of night's unfolding arms_

_Darkness, darkness everywhere, do you feel all alone?_

_The subtle grace of gravity, the heavy weight of stone_

 

_You don't see what you possess, a beauty calm and clear_

_It floods the sky and blurs the darkness like a chandelier_

_All the light that you possess is skewed by lakes and seas_

_The shattered surface, so imperfect, is all that you believe.'_

 

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs Used for this Entry:

(In my mind this was the song Lucifer wrote along with Delilah

and the melody he was playing at his first meeting with Chloe in the Pilot)

[You are the Moon - The Hush Sound ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpUP0jjicqY)

This just helped with the much-needed inspiration for the first section of this chapter :P 

[Living a Lie - Daniel Zott](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08j2GN2aWlQ)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) “Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.” - Jane Austen, Mansfield Park.
> 
> 2) Alan Shepard did have a 62' white custom Corvette but it was not a convertible. Astronauts at that time they were getting 2 cars from GM as a means to promotion although they were saying that it was a gift for their services to the US. Anyway, they always got a Corvette for themselves and a family car for their wives. Oh, and the car does indeed cost around 70.000 in mint condition the most expensive ones are the blue ones, though. 
> 
> 3) In the Pilot, Lucifer is playing the piano when he meets Chloe for the first time. No one knows the song so I improvised. 
> 
> 4) Why January 25, 2016 at 4:49 AM? That date is the day the pilot was broadcasted for the first time. The time is exactly one hour after Delilah's and Lucifer's shooting. How do I know that? Remember where Chloe says that the watch seems expensive? Well, I just took a screenshot and played around with the filters. Tada! The time it had stopped was 3:49. As it was night, I'm sure that in L.A. 3.49 and darkness can only mean AM. And yes you are correct, I'm a bit too hands on getting everything right even when research on minor details is required. Please keep that in mind. 
> 
> 5) Underwood Farm does exist and apparently is extremely popular for getting your pumpkins in L.A. before Halloween as well as for their petting zoo, games etc.


	5. Downer Endings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Downer Endings: 
> 
> 26th of December 2016. Lucifer has lost his memory from chapter one and he is busy with his business errands. A nosey Detective decides to follow him and she is surprised by her partner's business deals. Unfortunately, not all things end well. Lucifer and Chloe are attacked and something precious is taken from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning: Explicit Descriptions of Violence*
> 
> This chapter will be a bit more descriptive than usual. :/ As for the length... It just happened...

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

 

* * *

 

**Downer Endings**

 

**26th of December 2016**

**Los Angeles**

 

A soft rumbling snoring was accompanied by a gentle sighing at every exhale. The present tranquillity was a rare thing in her chaotic life. Case after case, stressful mornings with a small child and now adapting on having a rather adventurous roommate had done wonders on elevating her stress levels. Not daring to stir and wake the other two occupants of her bed she relished on everything she could memorise without actually opening her eyes.  
  
The sound of their breathing was calming and reassuring that they were both in a deep slumber from which they would not rouse anytime soon. Lucifer’s presence near her was the most prominent in the air. A lingering trace of sweat was blended with his musky expensive cologne making him irresistible even when surrendered in the hands of Morpheus.  
  
Still, it was his sinful arousing scent in combination with the innocence of her daughter's baby shampoo that comforted her from the day's worries. The day before had drained all of them beyond measure. Having been there to provide some obvious relief to Trixie, it was something that she would always owe him. He has provided after all, what she had failed to achieve for so many years.  
  
Knowing her daughter’s sleeping habits she had all her limbs wide open like a starfish over both of the adults. The hushed words of the man beside her had lulled both mother and child to sleep effectively trapping him in bed with them the night before. By the weight on her legs, she was guessing that Lucifer was now used as a pillow for Trixie’s upper body.  
  
This child could sleep through anything and surely enough she did not let out a peep when the familiar ringtone played through the man’s phone. The shifting on the mattress was expected but Trixie was never moved from where she assumed she was peacefully laying.  
  
"Give me the good news Niles." His voice was full of authority and alert. She would have never had guessed he was sleeping a moment ago and she doubted Niles could tell either.  
  
"It will not be moved if they know what is best for them." The low delivered threat sent chills down her spine. Her partner had proven to be a very dangerous man when he wanted to be something she had to remind herself on countless occasions. It was one of the reasons why their moments would and should never lead to anything more.  
  
"We are talking drugs Niles, of course, they are expensive! We will just flood the market and double the revenue." The chill escalated to a freezing shudder which hoped it he had remained unaware of the slight tremor that passed through her curled frame.  
  
"Nitwits!" His frustration over whatever had happened was apparent and when the bed shifted again she was surprised with the gentle brushing hands that nestled Trixie closer to her following with the blanket being tucked securely over them. Her eyes opened just enough to see him standing in front her full body mirror. What a sight he was this morning.  
  
The wrinkled white shirt and his hair in a complete disarray were what he probably was seeing as well. With a defeated groan he opened the bedroom's door and his heavy footing could be heard descending the stairs.  
  
With a feather kiss on her daughter's forehead, she hastily got up and picked her black oxfords. Her clothes were not in much better shape than his but they were decent enough to track him down and find once and for all his shady dealings.  
  
She ignored her mother’s curious eyes never knowing if it was of her leaving the house in such a state or following Lucifer on tow. At least Trixie would be somewhat safe for an hour, she doubted that her mother could find a pageant or an audition to drag the poor child today.  
  
Getting out of the flat’s building she was astounded to find a yellow cab speeding down the road while the black Corvette was still parked right in front of her building. Weighing her options she knew that getting her car would make her lose the cab which had stopped at the first traffic light of the block. Just how he had he found a cab this quickly was astonishing.  
  
Steaming over the lost possibility to finally shed some light on how exactly Lucifer had built to his wealth, she almost missed the distinct jiggling of metal behind her. An unfazed by the circumstances Penny was standing behind her in a plush pink robe, a cup of coffee in her one hand and a very familiar set of keys in the other.  
  
"I can't..." All reasons for why she should just grab the keys before it was too late were halted by the knowledge of how much he loved that car. If anything happened to it she could only guess his bargaining chip over her afterwards.  
  
“He wouldn’t tell you off even if you sent it for scrap metal and you know it dear.” Her mother was not exactly persuasive but at the sound of the cab’s gas screeching found her behind the wheel and turning the engine to life before realising she had snatched the keys. His destination was obvious from the roads taken, L.A.'s downtown area.  
  
After taking a wide turn right from the block of the City Hall she noticed the cab slowing down and the same rumpled Lucifer who had left her bedroom a while ago, exiting the car. Despite his disarrangement and lack of his usual jacket, he had lost none of his confidence. He entered the only record shop in the street where he was greeted happily by the young sale assistants. Even from afar she could see his animated bargaining guessing that behind his crazy perm today, there was a sly grin ready to charm everything out of his unsuspected victims.  
  
Getting out of the store, he had a hideous light blue blazer on obviously a gracious offer from perhaps the store owner himself. He was simply that good. For a few minutes, she assessed his body language. He was standing outside the shop for a good few minutes and more than once he had looked back inside.  
  
Rubbing his neck he took a few steps back to open the door of the store only to march down the road and stop again. With his eyes cast upwards, he placed his hands on his hips and seemingly resigned by his inner turmoil, eventually he entered the shop again.  
  
"Ma'am?" Focused on when Lucifer would get out of the store she had completely missed the man in blue, leaning over her. Shinny gears and a brand new uniform screamed rookie cop from miles.  
  
"What?!" She demanded whispering knowing fully well that Lucifer would have never been able to hear her from that distance.  
  
"Ehm... Licence and registration?" His uncertainty over asking for her papers was met with a pair of piercing blue eyes. A woman with an expensive classic car was never a good combination for a newbie.  
  
"Are you seriously questioning me that?" The standards had certainly fallen since she had graduated. The officer's fretful expression did not soften her glare.  
  
"You have parked at a non-authorised spot ma'am." Shaky hands holding a chewed blue pen and an unused notepad gestured the space she had abruptly stopped the car.  
  
“So you give me a ticket then!" Nearly having to spell it fuelled her impatience especially when she saw Lucifer shaking hands with a man at the glass entrance door of the store.  
  
"Do you want one?" He seemed surprised by her demand for a ticket. He had been expecting her pleading or hopefully resorting to flirting to get out of this situation.  
  
"Just give the damn ticket and scram!" Lucifer was getting out of the store again and checking his watch he jogged down the street.  
  
"To whom?" His eyes were checking her out in a lecherous way she was thankful Lucifer did not possess. She never thought she would appreciate his suave flirting in time.  
  
"Detective Decker." With no badge to flash she started the engine to follow Lucifer who had just turned around the corner.  
  
"Ma'am!"

Two streets down she finally spotted her tall partner slowing down and slapping lightly the valet's back before entering the block's hotel. Biltmore Hotel was known for many things and meetings of a certain standing were definitely what she would have expected to take place here. Driving the Corvette at the front entrance she ignored the valet's features darkening in recognition of the car she was about to entrust him. If it was not for the car itself or its unique number plate it was certainly for its well-known owner.  
  
Throwing the keys like she had seen Lucifer do so many times, she entered the hotel and for the first time, she was self-conscious on how she looked. Her hair was in a messy bun, no make-up and her casual clothes had certainly seen better days. Taking advantage of the pillars and high plants in the foyer, she approached the front desk where he was patiently waiting his turn.  
  
As always, he didn’t have to wait for long. The hostess mesmerised by his very presence batted her eyes and plastered a huge smile to provide any kind of service requested. The man's charm had not been affected in the slightest by the state of his clothes and overall appearance. On the contrary, when he leaned on the desk's counter, Chloe would have sworn she has seen the hostess literally swoon.  
  
From the inside of his jacket he placed a small plush animal on the desk and if she guessed right he gave the woman his trademark wink that sealed each and every deal he was persuading to make. Closing his borrowed jacket and combing his hair with his fingers he walked calmly down the hall at what she knew was the entrance to the Rendezvous Court.  
  
"Mr.Morningstar!" The thick British accent should not have surprised her. Entering the Rendezvous Court, the room was everything Lucifer was claiming to be. Regal, elegant and beholding a timeless beauty.  
  
Waiting for the company of three men to take their seat at the far end of the room, behind the high arches of the right corner, she let herself admire this place once more. Her mother was adamant on bringing her here as a little girl. Pretend tea parties were never good enough for Penelope Decker. If they had to be done then the Biltmore Hotel was the perfect place to hold one. It was also the only place she knew in this area with what Lucifer would only describe as a decent handler of his favourite hot beverage.  
  
Unable to resist she found a comfortable table for two right behind the arch's pillar where Lucifer and his company were now seated. After many months of having to be subjected on his various moods, she could see that all that could be found in his features was reserved politeness. There were no laugh wrinkles around his mouth or at the corner of his eyes.  
  
In the privacy they assumed they had, the three men were seating at the edge of their armchairs anxiously waiting for Lucifer to initiate the conversation. His jogging earlier was not affecting his leisure movements. Diving his tea leaves in the fine china before pouring the water was done with a delicate precision. No wonder his nose was always scrunched slightly whenever she made him a cup.  
  
Two lumps of sugar and a modest addition of milk later, the tea was resembling in colour his usual amber liquor. He stirred it with lazy fingers clockwise and set the spoon down. There was something unnerving on the way he made three grown men wait for him. They were all impeccably dressed and well-trimmed as if they had expected this meeting with great eagerness. Something that Lucifer was obviously thought to be a chore by his dismissive attitude so far.  
  
"Three tonnes were withheld by unforeseen circumstances yesterday." His flashing teeth through his open lips were not inviting. They were meant to threaten and reap the ticking veins that she could see palpitating on their necks.  
  
“We knew the risk sir" The younger of the three was foolish enough caught the interest of her partner. The dangerous glint in his eyes did not go unnoticed by either of them.  
  
"And you had assured me that there would have been no issues with the delivery." He contemplated clucking his tongue in mock chiding.  
  
"The issue will be underhand by tomorrow evening sir." The beads of sweat were telling her that the man promised something he had no way of delivering.  
  
"The issue will be addressed today and will be resolved within the day, Brighton." Raising his teacup he took a sip and Chloe saw him relax for the first time this morning.  
  
"But sir...-"  
  
"It was not a suggestion, Niles." Opening the buttons of his blazer she heard the men gasp and slightly distance themselves from him. With mild interest, his eyes scanned the silver three story tray and picked a couple of sandwiches as well as a large piece of chocolate brownie.  
  
"Yes, sir." The man named Brighton hanged his head resigning on having to deliver whatever it was demented from him in the next hour. A result he was not expecting to be able to achieve in two days much less in an afternoon. Reaching his briefcase he presented Lucifer with a large pack of papers and a pen. Taking the cue, the two men left on the table a similar pack each.  
  
"Be back in an hour and have some good news for me." He crossed his leg and taking one of the packs he let out a pained moan.  
  
"But you said this evening sir." Lucifer Morningstar was not an easy man. She remembered saying he had layers. Just how damn many did he have?  
  
"Obviously I changed my mind, Brighton." His bored tone did not match his narrowed eyes as he drank some of his tea.  
  
"Niles.." His hands skipped quickly over the pages with a pen in hand.  
  
"In your way out please inform Detective Decker behind that pillar that she is welcome to join me now." Pointing with the mont blanc the pillar she was sitting behind his torso turned just enough for their eyes to meet. _Crap_.  
  
In a gesture that had never expected to witness, Niles bowed his head slightly before placing a quick kiss on Lucifer’s right hand just above his onyx ring. The two other men followed suit mumbling their apologies for the inconvenience and they quickly left the secluded corner he was seating at.  
  
At her coming closer, a first real smile graced his lips and tapped the armchair’s arm next to him for her to sit.  
  
"In need of company?" She had been caught and there was no point on delving into reasons of why she should have just called Dan to double check on how his drug bust had gone yesterday.  
  
"Always." The word was sincere and he was unimpressed by her presence. There were only two teacups on the table and he was currently drinking from one of them. She would be damned. He had known she was following him the whole time.  
  
"Any confessions about this little meeting of yours today?" She picked a classic Earl Gray instead of the tea leaves selection before her and reached for the milk.  
  
“Bothersome people who like to infuriate me. There, nothing more to say really.” His calmness was distorted only by a mild amusement showing in his eyes when she poured the milk before the water. Her implied questions had not fazed him one bit.  
  
“You promised that you would never lie to me." She reminded him and tasted the hot drink. She could see why he liked this place so much. It was not the high ceiling or the heavy Victorian decor of the room. It was their amazing tea quality and from Lucifer’s interest, their sweet selection as well. She had long forgotten how good this variety was.  
  
"And I never will." There was no more room for questioning his honesty. He would always reply but they both knew that certain details could be left out. He had done it once when she had shot him and she was expecting him to use the same tactic again one day. She only hoped this wasn't the day.  
  
"Any explanation for your stained shirt?" The front of his shirt had a very prominent red stain, big enough to not pass unnoticeable when he had opened his blazer. That explained the paled faces of the men before. Perhaps they didn’t have an inkling on how the burgundy stain had come to be but she had her suspicion.  
  
The lines at the corners of his eyes appeared once more. His mouth pouted and turned into his all familiar teasing smirk.  
  
"Really Detective, don't you already know?" The mirth in his voice caused her to put a palm over her eyes and shake her head in exasperation.

 

* * *

  

Being roused by his phone was not a common occurrence. Scratch that. Maze had handled every single aspect of his personal and business life without him having to ever receive a call other than for a booty call. Thus, after moving with the Detective, that left him having to deal with the bothersome part of the business if only for one day per year. Unfortunately, that day was Boxing Day.  
  
Peeking at the caller's I.D. he damned his luck for sending Maze away for the holidays. Probably the crew and the rest of the guests onboard would agree that sending a demon for a cruise was not a good idea. Flary hellish temperament in a constrictive space? His idea perhaps was not well thought through.  
  
"Give me the good news Niles." His head was throbbing and his throat felt as dry as the rivers of his once east realm down under.  
  
Running several degrees hotter than normal didn’t do him any favours with the slumbering spawn over him. Neither did the proximity of Chloe which for the first time since coming in this place he had woken up with a thin layer of how own sweat. The dampness made his shirt feel uncomfortable plus something felt sticky near his upper abdomen and not in a pleasantly way.  
  
_" The Directors were wondering if we could postpone the meeting for a couple of days, sir."_ The wavering voice revealed that something had not gone as they were expecting.  
  
"It will not be moved if they know what is best for them." He was having none of this nonsense today. Niles had seen his ugly side early on but not his devilish one. He knew he was impatient and demanded efficiency no questions asked. He was also the guy who had orchestrated his first business ventures long before his vacation was in full effect.  
  
_" We had an issue with the shipment, sir. They are expensive and we cannot see how we can curve-"_  
  
"We are talking drugs Niles, of course, they are expensive! We will just flood the market and double the revenue." A shift of breathing let him know that someone on this bed was definitely awake. The child was out as she was still salivating over his shirt which left sweet, innocent Chloe.  
  
The blabbering that followed through his phone held no interest to him especially since he had specified that nothing would be changed or postponed for the day. Effectively he ended the call and if Niles knew him at all by now, he would know not to toy with his day's schedule.  
  
"Nitwits!" There was nothing more submissive in this world than a well-paid bunch of directors. That made them both ambitious enough to succeed but limited their intelligence on several other fields. Like not trying to bark at the Devil’s tree. Quite an under productive move according to him.  
  
Wrapping his arms around the small body that sighed at the additional warmth he rolled Beatrice carefully close to her mother’s still body. He was aware that the Detective might not let down this opportunity so he took the duvet making sure that the small human was well covered now that she wasn’t leeching off his warmth.  
  
Beatrice had been already feeling unwell the day before and to add into that a nasty cold would have the Detective unconventionally focused on the child once more. Therefore, he was protecting his best interests here. That and the fact that if the child was sick he would have one less fan to fawn over him. Not that he minded of course but it would be interestingly disconnecting for him for some reason.  
  
When he was sure that they both would be warm enough even if a certain someone hopped out of bed soon after he had left, his feet met the freezing wooden floor. Holding back a hiss at the sensation which was close to the pain his toes had experienced hitting hard at the Italian marble steps back in his penthouse, he peered down on the place that no longer felt sticky but was effectively rubbing his skin raw due to its altered texture.  
  
Taking a quick look at himself in the full body mirror, there was nothing to be salvaged. So steeling himself, he took the decision to proceed with his plans without stopping at the penthouse for a change of clothes.  
  
"Tough morning?" Penelope Decker was in all her fluffy pink robed glory with a steaming coffee cup on her hand in the kitchen.  
  
Ignoring Penny while searching for his jacket he stole one Christmas cookie from the coffee cup's saucer and winked at her. When he finally found his jacket it was where it was always when Beatrice was involved. Behind one of the couch's many useless decorative pillows. Still feeling the effects of heat in his skin and clothes, he decided against putting on the jacket and instead he followed his original intention.  
  
Without looking, he threw his set of keys on the kitchen counter and left the house. With no final glance at the bewildered Penny, he ordered the closer Uber cab online. Whether the Detective would decide wisely and caught up with him it was her decision to make.  
  
Sure enough, after a while, she did drive his very own Fallen1.

 

* * *

 

"Really Detective, don't you already know?" The mirth in his voice caused her to put a palm over her eyes and shake her head in exasperation. He couldn't help but leave the papers on the side and take a moment to enjoy the zaniness of the situation.  
  
"I told you not to get addicted to that." Wise words which he had as always taken lightly.  
  
"It will never be washed away is it?" Looking down at the stain it remained as bright red as ever. His scowling amused the Detective even more and he sensed the incoming chiding.  
  
"You took her to bed with her juice box on hand. What did you expect?" Obviously, he had not expected one more ruined shirt. That child was going through his clothes like crazy. He had always heard about how children were going fast through their clothes but Beatrice just had to be an overachiever, exactly like her mother.  
  
"Actually it was mine the little abomination was supposed to hold it." His wounded expression over his lost juice box was too much. With a very unladylike snort, she spewed her tea all over her lap. Lucifer raised an eyebrow and taking the linen cloth from his lap he gave it to her to clean up the mess.  
  
"Are you going to swear off alcohol then?" She took the cloth and without looking, she wondered how else Trixie had affected the notorious womaniser of L.A. Notorious only for her, though. According to him, past lovers sang praises to his name.  
  
"Over tart cherry juice? I'm not a toddler darling." His scoff was not very believable nor his sudden interest at the pack of papers in front of him. Taking a bite of his small cream pastry he ignored her for several minutes while scanning quickly each document and putting a hasty signature at the bottom.  
  
"You certainly act like one." Her under breathed reply was heard clearly earning her a hard stare. He folded his hands on his chest and took a great pleasure at the appearing pink hue on her cheeks.  
  
"Care to help?" Gesturing at the three piles and the numerous scattered clipped together documents, he gave free rein for her to inspect over the most important part of his business.  
  
"Me?" Her mind was reeling for some time now on how she could slip some of these documents in the search for illegal dealings. Drugs more precisely.  
  
"It might be an enlightening experience and you cannot very well leave a toddler signing multi-million worth of contracts now can you?"  
  
He made no other attempt to persuade her on taking a hold over a good portion of the documents. She couldn’t refuse so shortly she had several stacks on her knees looking quickly though every single one of them. If she had expected to find anything incriminating in there she was welcomely disappointed.  
  
"All these are for research, charities and such Lucifer. They do not provide any kind of revenue in order to pay for them."  
  
Not taking his eyes from the paper he was deeply engrossed in, he passed her the slightly smaller pile and sitting back he continued reading, sometimes jotting down notes or signing them. There was no difficulty to put the pieces together. Line after line made the man across her a stranger.  
  
Where was the playboy nightclub owner? The narcissistic egomaniac with the unexpected kind heart? Who was this person who made insane deals and had accumulated that much? His brows were frowning every once in a while and his hand was moving over every signature with a precision that spoke of responsibility and dedication to what he was doing for a living. How he could afford the time to play good cop, handsome devil for a year now she had no idea.  
  
"Drugs. As authorised prescriptions?" Asking him made it even more real for her.  
  
"Yep! The fun kind is for my own pleasure only, Detective or it was before Linda banned them from my Fun Thursdays." He still had not looked up to her but he was already going through the second pile.  
  
"Worth of millions?" How many numbers were in this papers? She moved her nail to count each zero and still it was unreal how a serious business would thrive under Lucifer's command.  
  
"Billions but that does not take you off the hook from paying the parking ticket." His glassy eyes met hers.  
  
The small red veins around his whites were the only obvious sign of tiredness he had been feeling all along. He was allowing himself to relax and show what was bothering him as what had begun as an innocent headache, was now a splitting migraine.  
  
“You knew that I was following you that far back?” Her astonishment on how he knew she had been following through L.A. entertained him to no end.  
  
"Since the moment my Corvette's engine roared to life outside your building complex Detective." With a final signature, he exhaled in relief letting his head fall back hoping to ease the pain. Closing his eyes certainly helped but he knew that it would not take long before it came back with vengeance.  
  
Making a rush decision, he raised his hand in the air and snapped his fingers. The sound of cheap rubber soles on the creme marble floor was enough to let him know that the waiter had heard him.  
  
"Brighton, Nails and Wetherbie will be back in a while. I'm bored so the message is clear." The squeaking of weight being transferred between the young man’s feet was clear but the given message was not clear for him.  
  
"Clear?" Between hooded eyes, he could see the nervousness of the waiter rolling off his body.  
  
"I'm leaving kid. Tell them to deal with their own messes before the night comes." Taking the last little eclair, with a nod of his aching head he gave the hint to the Detective to follow him.  
  
"Are we going to leave all these here?" The piles were deserted back in the table leaving a dumbfounded waiter watching them retreating to the lobby.  
  
"Tell me Detective, who would ever steal from me?" His smile was weak and his impatience to leave this place had him ushering her in the lift before she could question him.  
  
The elevator never went up to a luxurious suite where Lucifer would try once again to force a shagging moment on her. Although she never thought of him to actually attempt something so crash, this day had in store enough surprises for hot as it was. Surely not all could be good.  
  
The doors opened and like she had expected when she felt the elevator going down, the inadequately lightened garage came to her view. They didn't have to walk long past the first couple of cars to where Lucifer's Corvette was parked. Approaching the car he started unbuttoning his shirt grimacing at the feeling of the material brushing his skin with every flex of his arms.  
  
"The valet has the car keys." The valet had indeed recognised the car and by the place it was parked Lucifer was a frequent visitor if he could find so easily.  
  
"You mean these keys?" Holding the rings from his pinky, he widened dramatically his eyes in feigned surprise.  
  
"Ass..." She mumbled in humiliation on how she had been played the whole morning.  
  
"A fine one Detective. Never forget that." He never gloated over the fact he knew at all times when she was when she had followed him. Unlocking the back trunk of the car, he undid some more buttons of his shirt and placed gently the keys in her still warm from the teacup hands.  
  
"You've got such a good hang of it today, why not drive us back?"  
  
Taking out a fresh shirt from his car’s trunk, he untuck the rest of the one he was currently wearing from his pants and finally removed the awful blue blazer. Every sensation was climbing to new highs when she was around him. He had never cared to dress in the warmth of a heated room until he had felt the prickling cold of an underground garage.  
  
He did his best not to notice the Detective checking out his state of undress from the left mirror, now that she was _impatiently_ waiting for him to get ready. The chime of the lift never caught his attention as there was nothing wrong with some exposed flesh in this glorious world of lust and desire. He was sure the Detective was feeling both at the moment if her restlessness on the car seat was anything to go by.  
  
The first intense pain came as a shock on his  goosebumped by the cold skin. The radiating heat of flesh being sliced was known to him. He had unmercifully inflicted to others as he had endured it during his Fall. There was no time to react and stop the next blows.  
  
Experienced fingers worked around his torso all too soon rendering it shiny with gore. They were digging deeper, pushing and twisting inside him taunting his mortality. A mortality that had his head onslaught by a blinding pain. He was aware somewhere behind him a woman’s throat was strangled eliciting a choked cry before a sickening thud was heard. The collision of something heavy with the steering wheel had the car’s horn piercing his ears.  
  
With hands tugging wildly his hair he did not attempt to protect himself from ongoing rips of flesh. Kicks crushed on his stomach making his knees to finally give out. The shrilling horn was howling daggers in his head which had him unable to thankfully think anymore. The wrenching pain was replaced in emotional anguish only by the possibility of opening his bulging eyes to see her gone.  
  
His hands were kicked from their grasp on his hair pulling several curls along with the blow. Soon he was toppled by a heavy boot in between his shoulder blades and his hands were sickening popping with every delivered percussion over his fingers. A weak swoosh of air finally escaped his mouth. Bruised lips from biting them clasped together in order for no noise to escape them, had him effectively now chew through his bottom lip.  
  
The pounding continued and his only consolation was that everyone was targeting him. There was no sound of another body being battered to a pulp. In the midst of his despair, he was finding solace in knowing that even if the worse had come to be her body was not desecrated.  
  
"Should we cut it?"  
  
The answer never came out loud. A boot sole ground over his right hand repeatedly taking chunks of skin along with it. Lucifer could feel the peeling of the previously tight liaisons giving out and being scrapped away with each pass and every howl of stinging pain. With several more forceful hammering crushes, everything was over.  
  
He had known agony, he had known how to it was to be left bloodied and writhing in pain. He had also known that help would never come. His bones were crushed and nothing would heal him until he had left her side. It was futile he already knew that but with every shooting pain that never decreased, he kept in place the illusion of what the reason should be. As long as he was in pain she was probably still alive.  
  
Blurry eyes spotted the fallen figure a few feet away from him. Crawling slowly he was gasping for air as the bile felt it had to be expelled from his stomach in every few moves he made forward towards her still body.  
  
“And he was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him, but she is no angel, Father.” Exhausted he rested his head on her stomach and the first tears made their way through the dried streams of blood on his cheeks. She was alive.  
  
“She never was.” He whispered. She had not left him roaming the earth in despair.  
  
Not caring for the mutilated flesh of his fingers he caressed her face leaving a red trail behind. His relief was immense but lasted for a very short time. Between his ribbons of flesh and alabaster white bones, there was no hint of silver. There was no hint of silver. _There was no hint of silver!_ Pain held no significance  anymore.  
  
His phone was still in his pocket, he had felt it digging in his thing with every drag of his body towards hers. There were only a few speed dials he had ever cared to install into this blasted thing and with everyone gone to what he had thought to be a safe distance, there was only one option.  
  
The call's beeping echoed through the speakers in the now deserted garage. At the clicking sound of the call being connected he uttered hiccuping a fresh hurl of blood the word he never thought he would ever use again for the rest of the eternity.

"Mum..."

 

 

"Mummy..."

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs used for this entry:

[Downtown - Petula Clark](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx06XNfDvk0)

I had this major writer's block on how to begin this chapter. I knew how I wanted to conclude it but getting there was impossible for days to end. With very few options I started watching BBC's Blackadder. It was either that or Yes minister, yes prime minister. And then out of nowhere, I had it! Have you watched Lost in Austen? I think you should ([Lost in Austen Version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW5EVbruGr8)). British and hilarious. So there I was humming while planning Lucifer's day downtown L.A. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.   

[Back for Good - Take That](https://youtu.be/eLGiTV2oP10)

I know that this not what you would have expected but whenever I want to write an emotional Lucifer I have to go back to Miranda. 

[Living - Bakermat feat. Alex Clare](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuK2W5JgAZ4&list=LL2lKl2imbqzgCZHALUAl53g&index=1)

This is a dance song actually but it reminded me Lucifer's playfulness which I though he had when he knew that Chloe was following him all along. Also, it fits a bit the last scene... believe me it does... 

 

And finally a video from [The Rendezvous Court](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tVpMxfV7bM). Fitting huh?   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Lux in the Pilot is actually the Disney Studio Store and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain in west Hollywood. Just 2 streets down is the Sunset Tower Hotel the building which has been CG retouched as Lux and Lucifer’s penthouse. As for the real Lux or Emerson Theatre nightclub? Well, it is just 100m away from Disney Studio Store and Ghirardelli Soda Fountain. 
> 
> 2) All places mentioned actually exist in downtown L.A. Even the rain actually happened on that day and led to floods. The L.A. river filled up. I told you that I like details. I hear that you can find a handsome devil there and I'll not stop looking for one. ;)
> 
> 3) He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him (Revelation 12:9).
> 
> 4) What made me start writing this chapter? You might think of it as a foolish thing but I have three songs which never fail to put me in the mood for writing a Miranda fiction. Miranda is a British tv show starring Miranda Hart and Tom Ellis. Back for Good by Take That is one of the three songs and it always works. I just prefer the Boyce Avenue Acoustic Cover.It always provides me with an emotional Lucifer.


	6. A Murder with a Pulse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of A Murder with a Pulse: 
> 
> In the aftermath of the attack, Lucifer is uncommonly affected by it. Nothing can shake him out of his stupor and it's time for Mum to pick up the pieces. Chloe is making a shocking discovery about Lucifer's past, or so she thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning of light gore and suggested child abuse of the worst kind*

 

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

 

**A Murder With A Pulse**

 

 

The doors opened and like she had expected when she felt the elevator going down, the inadequately lightened garage came to her view. They didn't have to walk long past the first couple of cars to where Lucifer's Corvette was parked. Approaching the car he started unbuttoning his shirt grimacing at the feeling of the material brushing his skin with every flex of his arms.  
  
"The valet has the car keys." The valet had indeed recognised the car and by the place, it was parked Lucifer was a frequent visitor if he could find so easily.  
  
"You mean these keys?" Holding the rings from his pinky, he widened dramatically his eyes in feigned surprise.  
  
"Ass..." She mumbled in humiliation on how she had been played the whole morning.  
  
"A fine one Detective. Never forget that." He never gloated over the fact he knew at all times when she was when she had followed him. Unlocking the back trunk of the car, he undid some more buttons of his shirt and placed gently the keys in her still warm from the teacup hands.

"You've got such a good hang of it today, why not drive us back?" 

Trusting her for the second time that day stirred an uncomfortable feeling of suspicion over the real reason he was allowing her to handle his car. Christmas Day had taken a toll on both of them and it showed. She still felt emotionally drained 

He had fought his dropping eyelids and before he had subscribed to sleep she had seen a hint of betrayal shining through his dark eyes. She only hoped to not have to repeat that trickery today. Lucifer kept rubbing his forehead and his uneasiness for the most of the day had nothing to do with the packs of signed documents they had left in the Rendezvous Court. 

Taking his keys she got into the car making the best of the view she had. To put it mildly, it was not half bad. Trixie future had a double portion of cake for the night. _Bless the sour cherries juice!_

Making a mental note to restock the juice boxes Lucifer and her daughter absolutely obsessed over after their evening snack, she caught him change his shirt through the reflection of the car’s mirror. Being able to ogle him was a rare thing without any suggestive comments in the mix. 

Call it the years she had to cave into her carnal desires or because she was finally affected like every other woman in L.A who effortlessly was bound under his charm, Chloe today felt the heat rising in the most unexpected places. Lost in the haze of lust and longing for the man, she missed the approaching footsteps.

The gleaming of a claw ring caught her attention too late through the mirror. She turned only to see the shock in Lucifer's widened eyes. The ripping flesh under the sharp silver metal was heard loud and clear in the eerie silence. Like cutting cardboard with a sharp pair of scissors. 

There were no harsh breaths or instructions given. Fast hands gauged and ripped methodically the previously unblemished skin of his torso and back yet always avoiding the crescent _wing_ scars. Now the spreading red stains were not coming from a child's juice box accidental clenching. 

Chloe would have expected him to take action, adrenaline kicking in and pin the two men on the nearest wall as he had done on many occasions before. Instead, he was standing there frozen in time completely unseeing of the men attacking him. There was no breath escaping his slacked jaw. No sound of distress was heard as hands groped him digging deeper every time taking pieces of soft flesh from everywhere they could reach.

The movements were not slow but they were sadistically deliberate. Each single probing was planned founding easily its target. Chloe realised that moment she knew one of the men. He knew these fingers, that face. With the startled shuttering breath she took she expected the sound to alert him and have dark eyes focusing on her. There was nothing of such. 

She stood in place supporting herself on the door of the car watching the man walking calmly towards her. His long fingers wrapped smoothly around her neck with no emotional strain or remorse clouding his features. For all her training and her instinct screaming her to flee nothing moved her from the spot. She finally lost the connection with his face when her vision darkened as her throat gave away to crushing fingers. 

Driven by an impulse she gave a heel to the shin and a downward scraping motion before making a full body contact with the ground. A broken sound was heard and she was left seeing Lucifer's body being thrashed mercilessly around. Her only solace was that whatever she had done had pushed the man attacking her away. The wheel's horn was heard continuously, probably having been jammed but its harsh ringing was slowly muted as she battled to remain conscious. 

Struggling for a breath before she surrendered to the panic attack and the following loss of consciousness, Chloe begged having misheard his voice. Having misunderstood the meaning. 

_" Should we cut it?"_

 

* * *

 

The humidity made her shiver re-emerging her to consciousness. The smell of overused car tires and mould growing at the end of the garage’s corners was not lingering in the air anymore. The air was embracing her with the comforting staggering aroma of sweet liquor. The intensity of security filled her lungs and she could feel the slight heat travelling down her throat.  

"I don't care in which large water puddle you are in the middle of. I need you. _We_ need you!" 

Her eyes flew open and the pleasant flare of heat she was inhaling gave way to a choking stinging. Touching the base of her throat she probed the sensitive skin. The little light that entered the room from the busy nightlife of L.A. was enough for her to see the dark sheets tucked around her. _Satin_. _Lucifer._

"He called _me!"_

Wrestling with the bedding she did her best to take small breaths trying not to aggravate her sore larynx. The rest of the penthouse was dark, the only light came from the background lighting behind Lucifer's extensive liquor collection. She would never understand his fascination over whisky in his private quarters. He was known not to show any preference over alcohol but in his shelves were only the best brands of whisky available and some rather cheap as well. On the top of that, he even had his very own private distiller in the middle of the bar. 

"Amenadiel, he called me Mummy! He hasn't done that since he was three!" Charlotte Richards, impeccably dressed as ever was standing next to the open windows. The rumbling of the pouring rain was muffling her steps on the cold hard marble. 

The odd lightning was accompanied by the glass shattering thunders. The drapes were wildly dancing in the passing wind entering the penthouse and she could see the glistening droplets all over the floor from the abrupt direction changes of the rainfall. 

"You have two hours, I will not see him resigning from his light ever again. One Fall was enough!" Her worry and despair were eminent in her voice.

Charlotte taking off her hills had her bare feet with no reservation walking out in the patio where rain fell unceremoniously on her. If Chloe had ever thought Charlotte as the example of a well-cared woman, she had a newfound admiration for her under the spilling clouds of the L.A. sky. 

“They are coming.” Clothes drenched by the downpour, golden hair limp on her shoulders and feet slipping on the wet patio drawn her near to the slouched body next to the glass railings. 

The fingers which covered her mouth at the sight, she knew she would find, found their way between her teeth trying to hold down a rising sob.   

"Just hold on. Hold on for me my sweet boy.” The woman pleaded as she reached to touch his dark matted hair. 

His steaming body in the night air was hunched at the very corner of the patio slowly rocking in sync with the drumming of the raindrops falling around him. If not for the black flooring she knew that the streams of blood running down his body would have painted the whole patio red. The heavens tonight had opened and were hammering with vengeance on his gory carved body. 

All the bleeding lacerations were scarcely deep flesh wounds. They had meant to hurt, paralyse and inflict pain yet without endangering their victim. His blood-stained shirt was discarded close by leaving him only in his dress pants. A lighting illuminated the sky making Lucifer obviously flinch putting his head further down. 

“Can’t you stop it already? He had enough you self-righteous bastard!” The directed upwards scream of Charlotte to the cloudy sky found Chloe in agreement. 

Like she had seen her daughter numerous times doing while she and Dan were fighting all through these years prior the divorce, Lucifer’s hands covered his ears and his rocking became more violent. That is was when she noticed his right hand. The finger where his ring was supposed to be was now a mash of red flesh ribbons. There was no command over his middle finger with every white tendon hanging floppily around the fragmented bones.

Charlotte noticing the escalating strenuous abnormal behaviour of the man she reached a hand on his head in an attempt to soothe him. This time she didn’t hesitate to touch him but the movement above him had him shrinking closer to the glass. Lucifer Morningstar a man who thought he was bigger than life, invisible, heck the Devil in the flesh, was trying to make himself smaller of all things. 

“You will not get close to him tonight!" The fierce protective growl of the woman had her blinking.

In a daze, she had stepped outside the penthouse exposing herself to the now warm falling drizzle. The wind stuck her wet hair on her face blinding her from Charlotte’s wild staring eyes. That woman was effectively protecting him. 

Chloe bit her upper lip and tightened her fists. Challenging someone who had the same basic urge of a lioness protecting her cub was not a wise choice. At the same time this was her partner, the man who had never shown this kind of weakness, her rarely openly vulnerable Lucifer, only a million times worse. 

Inhaling a struggled shallow breath she steeled her eyes on Charlotte’s and took one more step.

“Counsellor...” 

A set of large male hands stopped her, making her step back into the penthouse. 

“Detective.” Charlotte stood in front of Lucifer’s hunched body and greeted an aloof Dan. 

“Jesus, he is ripped to shreds! Doctor...” A small lanky man with descending hairline made his appearance between Dan wearing the same wary smile at the sight before him. 

“Her Detective.” Charlotte's tone did not leave any room to argue with her. Still standing protectively over Lucifer, she pointed Chloe and Dan's eyes darkened when he saw her neck. From the tingling ache around her neck, she was sure that she had an impressive bluish chocker bruise around it. 

Cold fingers probed her throat gently and the Doctor lowered his glasses to inspect the damage. Satisfied by what he was seeing he advanced to treat her broken partner. 

“Only. Her. Doctor!” If her voice was protective before now it was without fail down right threatening. 

“She will be fine. Is just an abrasion that will go away. He, on the other hand, needs stitches! That’s a ring avulsion there!” His insistence to come closer to the man behind her, had Charlotte coming forward and clutching his tie effectively stopping him in his tracks. 

“Lucifer will not be treated by a common witchdoctor. Help is on its way.” Her low warning had the doctor backtracking closer to Dan. 

“Charlotte...- Counsellor.” he corrected with a side glance on Chloe who didn’t seem to mind on how he was addressing Charlotte.

“I believe time is of the essence here. If the gashes do not worry you then I believe that as a pianist, he would appreciate saving his finger.”

Lucifer’s hands had come once again up next to his ears and the razed finger had become the object of their sickening fascination as it was suspended by its last supporting liaisons. 

“I am not discussing this Daniel.” She turned to the man behind her and Chloe knew that at this moment demanding to stay she would jeopardise Lucifer’s already fragile state. May it be an hour or a day she would return as fast as she could to get close to Lucifer without Charlotte hovering over him.

“Dan it's time to go...” A slight whimper for the first time gave her the assurance that he was still there. He was not as lost as he appeared to be. He just had to wait for her. She only hoped he had it in him to wait a little while longer.  

Ignoring Charlotte’s flying daggers and Dan’s narrowing eyes she bowed over his damaged soul and body to whisper as closely as she could without touching him in fear of distressing him more. 

“Your promise Lucifer goes both ways. I’ll be back.”  Against her better judgement, she brushed the edges of his damp hair leaving him rigid in place before she saw the tension slipping from his body. 

With great reluctance and regret, she followed Dan and the Doctor in the elevator with her eyes fixed on Charlotte’s unmoving form over Lucifer. 

 

* * *

 

“Yes, mother I’m fine! Would I lie to you? Aside from that time... Yes, and the one after that... No... The point is I’m fine!” Her insistence to reassure Penny was falling on empty ears. For Penelope Decker, her daughter either had a very pleasing evening with the man she had hunted down that morning or she had a near death experience. Damn, she was right and unfortunately not for the first speculation. 

“Yes. I’m at the station with Dan and I will be back in the morning. Just _work_  mother!” Huffing at the dropped call she hoped Trixie would be safe for a few more hours.

“Everything  okay?” He asked stopping by her desk with a thicker file than she had expected on his hands. 

“She is too young for a teen movie and too old for toddlers and tiaras. I think we are safe for now.” With a rough smile, she set a chair next to hers and prompted him to sit. 

“Thanks.” His eyes were bloodshot after the drug bust and the shift around the clock for almost two days. It was a wonder he was still standing. 

“You got what I asked you to?” She was driving him hard on the ground today but she had a promise to keep. 

“It was not easy but favours go a long way even if I got demoted a few months ago.” With a sigh, he put the folder in front of her and let her open it. 

“Charlotte Richards was born in 1977 and grew up in an orphanage then at four she was transferred to a foster home until her grandmother unwillingly got custody at the age of ten.” Dan told her and she frowned. That was a rather bumpy beginning for a successful law firm co-owner.

“A rich grandmother?” She guessed.

“Exactly but things get a bit more complicated before that...-” Charlotte’s file was a disturbing piece of evidence which he had no idea why Chloe wanted to have access to, other than because of tonight’s incident at Lucifer’s penthouse.

“Lucifer’s files go back only five years...” she murmured to herself and reached the section on her education. Ivy college, valedictorian,  internships, the break of being a cop only to get back to practising law and making it big. 

“What are you searching for Chloe?” Clasping his hands together he bowed his body close to her making her desk light highlight his worry lines over his forehead. 

“He called her Mummy, Dan. How would you explain that?” Overhearing this piece of information was not what she would have expected for Lucifer and Charlotte’s relationship to be based on these terms. A mother and a son was not a possibility she could consider.

“His papers state as his date of birth, 1981. At three Charlot would have been...” Exhaustion was making him slower than usual but still a good second brain to have in this _case_.

“Seven... Trixie could buy and sell you when she was seven, Dan.” A new possibility was now getting clearer for her to see. It was the only thing that made sense 

"Chloe... Do you think that Lucifer might have been one of her foster siblings?” The wavering deep in his throat was not encouraging. Taking the file from her he flipped the pages and when he found the one he wanted his face turned solemn.  

"It's not impossible... A neglectful foster household. A toddler attaching himself to an older sister... Who he eventually perceives as his mother.” It all made sense now all these small scattered details.

“Chloe I think you might be right.” He continued to read the page with great concentration his features turning darker with each passing line. 

“It explains why he wouldn’t sleep with her.” She reasoned for the first time believing what Lucifer had insisted since day one. 

“And why he is so protective over her.” Dan supplied hands turning to tight fists and only now remembering how he had attacked him outside the lair of the Chinese mafia. 

“Yes, well... Can we find me all the boys in between 1981-1987 in that foster home?” Dan closed the file still keeping a finger in between the pages. He closed his eyes and rubbed them to chase the drowsiness away.

“Chloe this gets too personal and if this file is anything to go by Lucifer is entailed to his privacy.” This was not like Dan. He should have been the first to be gleeful over finally revealing who Lucifer Morningstar really was. The first wanting to drop the _‘I’m the Devil'_ facade.   

“Dan... Please...” She reached for the file only to be taken further away from her. 

“There was a boy who disappeared. His name was Samuel “Sammy” Gustafson, aged six. It happened shortly after Charlotte was given to her only living relative.” His voice was grim and unwilling to reveal more than what was necessary. 

“The boy was born then in 1981?” The pieces were finally coming together. Dan exhaled sharply and hung his head over the closed file. 

"Chloe... Charlotte was moved due to allegations that the foster father... on the grounds of sexual abuse.” No words more appalling had been uttered in this station than that of child molestation. 

“Charlotte?” Her breath hitched with a painful reminder of what she had experienced earlier that day. By the time Dan shook his head watching her carefully with sorrowful eyes her heart plummeted.  

Her breath hitched with a painful reminder of what she had experienced earlier that day. By the time Dan shook his head watching her carefully with sorrowful eyes her heart plummeted.  

“The boys?” His eyes turned away avoiding hers. He traced with his index his lips in frustration and she would have sworn smooth hands were back around her neck twisting and withholding a tormented scream erupting from the depths of her throat.  

His eyes turned away avoiding hers. He traced with his index his lips in frustration and she would have sworn smooth hands were back around her neck twisting and withholding a tormented scream erupting from the depths of her throat.  

“Lucifer... He... He fits the profile. The age, the features and... there are some pictures in there... Ugly ones. Charlotte’s file was, in reality, a case file on finding Sammy Gustafson.”  

He could not meet her eyes. If he had he would have seen the colour draining from her face and her long fingers as she had gripped tightly her chair’s plastic arms. 

“Dan...” She croaked with every ounce of power the soul-numbing news had given her. 

“Don’t tell him.” He raised his eyes and pleaded about the man he had come to care for as an obnoxious friend. 

“Never.” She vowed and took a calming breath.

“Dan. I need a favour. The last one I promise.” Lucifer’s past would remain buried for as long as he wanted to. Yet more urgent matters demanded her to shake herself off the harsh reality and make sure that no one would ever hurt him again. 

“Anything.” Whatever it took to get them far from the dark past of a man his ex-wife was falling for. 

“I saw one of the attackers and I need a warrant.” The words came out rushed but with a hesitation, Dan had not heard before at such a demand. 

“On whose name?” This was the easy part. Assaulting a police officer would make the issuing of a warrant an easy and quick thing to attain. 

"No Dan... I need a warrant for a body excavation.” 

 

* * *

 

Craving for a cigarette was one of his lowest points. There was no addiction, no pleasure on the bitter taste of nicotine in his mouth, no real reason for him to smoke. Wobbly legs lifted him shaking by the effort with only support the stained by his own blood glass trail.

Underneath his beloved house, the Los Angeles basin was simmering by the lights of its nightlife. A constant reminder that some lights would never cease to exist in humanity. Taking a deep breath in a futile attempt to steady himself he felt the same lack of stifling smoke inside his lungs that only a cigarette could provide him. One of the remaining effects of Hell after all these millennia down there.

He enjoyed the clean air but a mere five years had not ceased his comforting dependence of being suffocated especially in times of absolute grief. The trickling of water and blood down his body could not placate him the same way. The slowly mending pinkish middle finger since the Detective had left no longer provided him with the much-needed distraction on what was missing around it. 

“Lucifer?” With his back to her, she could see his wounds tightening and healing readily. Sending away the humans had worked, for her baby boy was slowly coming back. 

“I have an elusive question for you. How were you released from your bounds Mother?” If she had expected his hostility when he had gathered his bearings he would never know due to insisting on looking down the vibrant city. 

“I had the strength to break them, why asking such questions? Don’t you see yourself? What caused _this_?” The worry in her voice reminded him a time when he thought she was rather lovely. A time when he would fall down and she would always come to his aid. A time when he never had to double doubt her at every step, at every word. 

The worry in her voice reminded him a time when he thought she was rather lovely. A time when he would fall down and she would always come to his aid. A time when he never had to double doubt her at every step, at every word. 

A gruff sound which was intended to come out more like a chuckle was accompanied by the emission of a light flaming blue mist from his healing right hand. As soon as it caught Charlotte’s eye it was gone.

Tottering inside the penthouse while constantly stretching to the couch for support and then his piano, he reached the bar stools. Picking one of the cheapest bottles of whisky that had a prominent place in his finest and rather costly selection, he poured a generous neat glass.

Charlotte followed him within a safe distance making sure to avoid the trail of water and blood he had left behind him with each unsteady step he took.   

“With all the ones wanting to return the Devil at his rightful _place_. Apparently, my stubbornness to remain to Earth was not their only problem.” The words were spat with dribbles of hard liquor flying on the bar’s counter. 

“Son...” She had seen this before. It had started some time before he had Fallen. The mistrust and the sheltering of his gentle heart had started once more. 

“The irony? At their haste to return the Devil to Hell they never thought that Hell may not have wanted him anymore.” There should have been relief in his reasoning but the price he had paid was not worthy of this realisation. Nothing would ever be.

“What do you not understand Mother?” His bitterness of having to explain what was clear to him to a previously omniscient celestial being was a waste of time. 

Deserting his drink on the counter he stumbled again swearing under this breath towards his bedroom. 

He had caught a glimpse of who had attacked him and he already knew it was impossible. This was not human frivolity it was planned and executed as a clear warning. 

His headache since the day before, the crucial missing and blurred moments in his memories as well as the loss of the last piece of Heaven he had, all pointed upwards. Father was interfering personally this time and he had nowhere to hide. 

Mother terrified him for her ability to think alike to him. He knew how dark and malicious he could become. But Father... Father was a mystery. There is no worse betrayal to call you their favourite, their loved one above everyone else and discard you for the uniqueness they praised you for having. Yet now He was getting even more away from him. He was getting something out of him. Pieces of him. 

_Memories_

What was missing from his right middle finger held every precious memory he ever had. So why it had to be taken away from him if not for Father erasing everything that ever was good in his life. These equally cherished moments of happiness and heartbreak were all encompassed in that ring. 

Taking his emergency phone out of his night stand, silently thanking Maze for her prudence to make sure he would never be left without a way to get a hold the people he might need, he pressed the second out the only two speed dials he had ever saved. 

At the third ringing, she picked the phone. He never waited for her to ask why he was calling. Something was constricting him like a vice and he had no idea how to free himself before his chest gave a last wheezing sound of surrender to the darkness ahead. From that darkness, the words flowed to the speaker. 

“You know I still wonder how much of it was planned. How much of it, he knew in advance. I thought I was rebelling. I thought I was defying his rule. No, I was merely fulfilling another tiny segment of his great and powerful plan.” His words were rushed and he toyed with his mending finger. If he had been a mortal it would have bled by the friction a good while ago.

“Lucifer you will have to wait for next week for us resume our sessions, I’m in the middle of the ocean!” Linda’s voice carried anxiously due to his tormented tone.

“I know Doctor! I know… I sent you at this blasted cruise and obviously, I wasn’t thinking right! Then again you deserve it… Doctor-“ his voice croaked under an invisible pressure.

“Lucifer why did you call me?” She asked him in the soothing manner he usually responded to.

“Doctor… I feel I’m forgetting something… something important.” His body slumped on the floor next to his bed as he tugged his hair in aggression. These broken words were the last thing Linda heard before he dropped the call to let the frustration and the despair overcome him.

  

* * *

 

 _To be Continued..._  

 

 

* * *

 

Songs Used for this Entry:  

[Dead Hearts - Stars](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGHfIR6PK7M)

This is the songs which helped me with the garage scene. I think it fits perfectly the mood and the bewilderment over the whole situation Chloe went through.  

[Let it Rain - Rick Astley](https://youtu.be/kfkmC42Vfjo)

I believe it's clear why I chose this song... 

[Devil's Tears - Angus & Julia Stone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yQTGyYg0_E)

A nice song which gives away more than you think. Not much but... I'm not going to say more. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) The title of this chapter has many interpretations and it’s also a teeny-tiny clue. 
> 
> 2) I added approximately 3 years to the birth dates of the actors for this story. Ellis and German were born in 1978 while Helfer in 1974. Lucifer and Chloe thus in 1981 while ‘Mum’ in 1977. The reason behind this is quite simple. According to the series, Chloe Decker is 35 years old so I had to readjust all ages by three years. 
> 
> 3) I have no idea if it rained on the 26th of December in L.A. :(
> 
> 4) I’d like to thank 'yearning' for making me go past what I hate reading and making it a small subplot in this chapter. Thank you. I promise I have no desire to steal your thunder, inspiration came while writing and had nothing to do with your story other than making myself woman up and deal with this subject.


	7. Fiddling While Rome Burns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Fiddling While Rome Burns:
> 
> Lucifer finally comes around but Linda insists that it's time for a joined session. Her partner in crime? Chloe Decker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be an interesting and heartwarming chapter but with the usual mystery, angst.

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

 

* * *

 

 

**Fiddling While Rome Burns**

 

The view was lovely. The sunrise had found her sitting near the front door watching the sunrise with a piping hot cup of coffee warming her freezing hands. Lucifer was right when he had suggested that the killer’s apartment was so much nicer than the victims. But it was the view that was worth every cent of her joined rent. 

Chloe could see Los Angeles sprawling out of her window shimmering in the morning light. Somewhere in the distance, the sea was painted gold by the rising sun and to her right, there was the glimmer of well-known a rooftop. Under that roof, she knew it was Lucifer’s penthouse where no call had been picked up during the whole night. 

Heavy steps were heard approaching the door making Chloe move quickly to the couch. Keys jingled and the sound of the lock turning had Chloe rubbing nervously her hand on her pyjama bottoms. Maze was absolute when it came to protecting Lucifer. If she was not willing to talk she would have to find a way getting through Charlotte somehow later today.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Without turning to see her on the couch, Maze kicked her small, hard-shell silver luggage near the chair where Chloe was previously sitting on.

“How about you?” Chloe asked watching the sunkissed woman moving stiffly around the kitchen until she found the freshly made coffee in the still steaming kettle.

Maze plumped on the couch next to her sipping her coffee. Chloe had expected the stench of sweat and travelling under dubious carriers to hit her nostrils. There was nothing of such. Instead, the nauseating smell was from the mixture of vomit and blood.

“I cleaned it. It just doesn’t get off, though. I might have to throw it away.” Sniffing her leather jacket her nose wrinkled and she focused again on her coffee. 

“How is he?” Her trembling voice could be detected by the Demon under her composed facade. 

“In a daze and confused. He resurfaces every now and then but soon he goes down under again.” She gave her a strained smile and they fell into a tense silence. 

“His finger?” Her questions were timid. 

After last night she was unsure on how much Maze knew about Lucifer's past or what she might have had experienced herself. Lucifer's insistence on keeping her near at all times including her loyalty was seen under a new light from Chloe. 

“Good.” So she was not in the mood for small talk then. 

Chloe reached for her necklace and played it around her fingers trying to formulate a plan on how to keep her promise and go see him today. With a clank, she left her cup on the coffee table. Searching for anything she could use to pass through the people who now surrounded Lucifer she studied Maze which now had turned eyeing her warily. 

Stroking her eyebrow to unclutter her thoughts she took a big breath and- 

“Look, he is not well and he will not be for quite some time but help is on its way.” Letting her own cup on the table she hunched forward.

Maze stooped frame gave away the same vulnerability Lucifer had the night before. He had collapsed and Maze was obviously lost thus doing what she had learned to do when Lucifer was concerned. Be level-headed until all options run out. 

“Charlotte told Dan to not report the attack or the theft. Maze… I need to see him” 

Chloe Decker rarely pleaded her case aside from where her daughter was concerned and if anything Maze respected that. Perhaps Mum had been right despite Amenadiel’s reservations. 

“We have two hours. Freshen up, get dressed and we are leaving together.” 

The washed relief in Chloe’s face had Maze relax. If this did not work either Charlotte was sure to would go much further than release a celestial blade into the L.A. 

“Linda will be there as well by then. I'm just giving you a head's up if you know what I mean. ” Maze warned her while taking off her jacket and throwing it near her luggage behind the couch.

She had no idea what she meant. Being away from her partner in hours of physical and emotional anguish was not sitting well with her. Lucifer had warned her long ago. He had layers, but how many exactly she for the first one was afraid to count. 

Small feet were heard from the stairs exactly an hour later. Maze was dozing on the couch next to her second cup of coffee making Trixie halt her stomping on the wooden floor. Once she saw that their roommate had returned and currently was taking a nap she halted and she lighted up. 

“She’s back!” She mouthed with her usual adorable grin which once again was missing a tooth. 

Trixie was not far from losing every single one of her toddler's teeth. Just a couple more to go. That little girl was growing up way too fast for Chloe’s liking. 

Nodding she showed the child two eggs and the thick bread pieces she had just sliced. The light in her eyes confirmed that Hawaiian bread it was for breakfast today. Stealing a glance on where Maze was sleeping she took out of the fridge one more egg. Maze and Lucifer had the tendency to wolf down whatever they could find in her kitchen. 

“Where is Lucifer?” The child asked chewing some bread crust which had been left with some crumbs on the wooden cutting board.

Trixie had been accustomed to Lucifer being there every morning whether her mother was or not for the past couple of weeks. A bathroom renovation had him occupying, much to Chloe’s dismay, their couch every night thus making him Trixie’s prime caregiver before school when odd cases demanded her presence at the station. 

“Craving chocolate cake for breakfast again?” She asked her with a knowing smile. 

It was common knowledge in this house that whenever she was away, Lucifer would cave in and let her daughter have anything she liked. It didn’t help of course that he was equally bad with sweets himself. Even if it was for his inability to lie, as he swore that was the case, coming over to the station afterwards with chocolate frosting at the corners of his mouth had not helped him deny her questions with an innocent expression plastered on his face.  

“Well…” She drawled the word as much as she could while trying to mimic Lucifer’s cheeky grin. 

“Just how many cakes did you have all these days?” Trixie was practically running on a sugar high for about a month now but although she had seen the edible evidence on Lucifer's lips she still couldn’t find hard evidence. 

Wraps, receipts or even recycled boxes were never found thus it seemed that the only one who ate the sweets was Lucifer on his way to the station. 

“He ordered them from the Cake Monkey Bakery… and everything?” She wouldn’t manage to appear apologetic even if she had wanted it to. 

“Everything?” Leaving the plastic spatula aside she stared the child in disbelief. 

“Lucifer told me I was your monkey so we should have monkey cakes.” Her animated gestures reminded Chloe why leaving her daughter with a man of no inhibitions had been a bad idea. 

“And why did you get everything?” Getting back to the pan to crack the eggs in the middle of the slices of bread she could have sworn that at the first sound of them sizzling, Maze’s breath quickened.

“He said I was a monkey but he had no idea of which kind so we just had to try everything!” 

The conviction over whatever Lucifer had ever said to her was unexpected. He was always shrinking away from hugs and Trixie’s presence with only some very few instances when he knew that she needed to be comforted. Yet these times were exceptionally rare. 

“I see… Lucifer is… not feeling well monkey. Maze and Mommy will go see him you think you can stay with Grandma for just one more day?” She had seen the smudges of eyeliner beneath Trixie’s eyes but for both of their shakes, it would be best to not start that discussion with her mother still sleeping upstairs.  

“I want to come too! Pleeease…” Puppy eyes were wide open on full effect. She had long found a way to appear unaffected by that stare and still the dark eyes today had her on the verge of giving up regardless of logic’s prudence. 

“Monkey, Lucifer is not… well.” Explaining the situation to a child who had kidnapped once was not easy. Lucifer had been her hero since that day and heroes did not fall. Ever. 

“Is he sick?” The trademark cocking head of hers when she asked difficult questions was there. Chloe was losing this battle, Trixie would never let the man who had held her while feverish just a day ago go without _proper_ care. 

“Sort of.” She trailed in hopes to turn the tables as much as she could at the last minute. 

“Then he needs hot cocoa and a hug.” With Lucifer’s new obsession over hot chocolate, she doubted he was short of the fancy varieties he had bought after depleting her cupboard stash.

“Just let her come. She might even shake him out of his stupor.” With the last toast hitting the plate Maze was wide awake with a predatory look in her eyes. 

“Maze, I’m not letting my child near a wounded man who is on and off mental clarity.” Chloe insisted with a knowing look. 

Her daughter stopped eating mid-chew. Now that had been harsher than she had intended. Even she didn’t believe Lucifer would be ever capable of harming Trixie. The man was after punishment, never mindless abuse and harm. 

“We are talking about Lucifer he despises children but he would never hurt one. Certainly not Trixie.” Taking the plate from the counter faster than Chloe would blink Maze had her daughter in a brief hug before whispering that she was coming and that was it. 

With a sly grin Trixie swallowed the bite she has stopped munching and her legs swayed in delight. It was official then, Trixie was coming along. 

 

* * *

 

The penthouse was exactly as she had left it the other day with only exception the mopped rain water off the now spotless floor. Before the elevator’s doors opened Linda’s voice carried clearly two stories down before they reached the top floor. 

“…-I had to promise free sessions to the half of the crew! Can you _comprehend_ what I’m saying!” Her calm exterior had given way to a harsh scolding Amenadiel and Charlotte were subjected seated on the camel coloured couch. 

“What happened?” Chloe asked hiding Trixie behind her. The child never showed any tolerance toward fighting scenes where yelling was involved. 

“We forgot Linda on board. We had to pay double to get her here.” Maze grimaced when their _tribe’s witchdoctor_ spotted her. 

“You! What were you thinking?” Seeing Linda in casual clothes was an interesting sight. A flowery buttoned shirt with white slacks and flip-flops was not what Chloe had imagined when she thought Linda on vacation.  

“That _someone_ banned us from the first deck?” Maze challenged. 

“You tried to play _throw the daggers_ with the Captain! What did you expect?” Throwing her hands high on exasperation she adjusted her glasses and turned to Chloe for support. 

“That’s sort of illegal.” She admitted uncomfortably when another kind of daggers flew right on her by Maze. 

“They were small!” She insisted crossing her hands. 

“They were 5 inches of steel!” Linda disputed looking once again at Chloe.

“They were a weapon.” She confirmed and a new set of daggers targeted her through Maze’s glinting eyes. 

“If you are over with that kind of nonsense, can you tell me why the early morning gathering?” Lucifer’s voice smooth as over came from behind them. 

Wearing comfortable grey workout pants and a long sleeved hoodie he was casually standing at the door of his bedroom. Small hands were entangled at the front of his neck and a mess of dark her was falling over his right shoulder. He was piggybacking the child she was currently missing from behind her. 

“I told you I would return.” She joked looking over his body for anything amiss. He was not fidgeting in discomfort anymore. The hoodie was not stained by anything suspicious and when he approached him he smelled of green soap and a hint of jasmine.

“That you did.” His face relaxed focusing only on her and readjusted the child behind him earning a grunt of displeasure by her being   jolted. 

“Lucifer I believe it's time for a joined session.” Linda interrupted them. Amenadiel exhausted was hiding his face on his hands while Charlotte’s lips had thinned into a very sour frown at their exchange.

Blinking he turned to Linda only for confusion to set in. His bleary eyes were questioning and his grown untrimmed 5 o’clock shadow did not offer him the imperviousness that usually accompanied his very presence. 

“You have been catatonic for the best part of the hour I was here. The sooner we address the problem the sooner we can solve it.” Slow strategically chosen words had their effect Linda mused. 

“Joined with whom?” His eyes turned to study each person in the room speculating on what his session would offer him. 

“With her.” Pointing Chloe who was as thunderstruck as him. 

“Maze, Charlotte and Amenadiel will wait for us down at Lux.” After a short staring contest with a towering by two heads Amenadiel, Chloe saw him huffing. He got in the elevator holding the door for the two women to follow, both with a certain degree of distrust mirroring in their eyes at her being left behind with Lucifer.  

“Trixie?” 

Her daughter had a strong hold on Lucifer’s upper body and did not seem willing to let him go anytime soon. He just paced around the spacious sitting room, sometimes standing in front of the windows and whispering to the child behind him. 

“She is dozing off slowly so soon enough this will not be a problem. We will just have to wait.” Linda gently touched her forearm and led her behind the bar. 

“You okay?” From the distance, she heard Trixie’s slurred words coming out a bit louder. Chloe should have known that waking up at the hour she did would only lead to an early nap time before lunch.

“A bit better now runt.” He assured her and raised her carefully higher on his back always avoiding any contact with his badly bandaged right hand. 

“Chloe, catatonia is a mood disorder. Lucifer is a very difficult and unique patient. This means I cannot put him on drugs or recommend any kind of treatment other than counselling at the moment.” 

The hushed words from Linda had her full attention. If what Dan had discovered was true then Lucifer had crawled from the pits of Hell itself. Pity that she didn’t know exactly how right she was.  

“Do you think this is the first time it has happened?” She asked always keeping her eyes fixed on the pair at the other side of the room. 

“There is a high probability that he is just having a relapsing episode due to a traumatic incident.” Linda got one of the low scotch glasses and filled it with water. This was expected to be a long session. 

“So what’s my part in this? I was there, I saw how it all begun should I-“ Her speech was rushed and she hoped she could have had a drink before this but tempting the owner of the bottles behind her was not what they were going for. 

“Today you listen and reply only when absolutely necessary. He needs to open up and when he does it will be in metaphors. Do not interrupt him!” Chloe nodded at the given instructions and she wondered how far he had buried himself in order to hide that lost little boy of six. 

“Metaphors help certain patients deal with traumatic events which they transfer to other people and/or circumstances. He needs that. Can you do that for him today?” Looking at Linda's eyes she knew there was no other answer. She wanted to do this and at the same time, she needed to. 

Linda took the initiative and after filling one more glass with water she made herself comfortable on the one side of the couch.  

“Lucifer, why don’t you join us?” 

Barefoot with a slow pace on the deep black marble, he gathered Trixie’s feet upwards and carefully sat down next to Chloe. Making sure that he would not wake the child he made sure she was comfortable on his shoulders before turning to the two women who were studying his every move. 

“Are you comfortable? Is she heavy?” Chloe asked still fearing of reopening wounds while checking for any recent stains under her daughter’s body. 

“We are fine. Her weight is almost mollifying.” 

Rubbing tenderly the small hands that were wrapped around his neck his features turned to the hesitant yet tortured expression he had that night. The night Linda had asked him for no more metaphors. For an instance, she wondered if this session would actually work as it should. 

“What can you tell me from the attack?” Lucifer’s eyes followed the pen in Linda’s hands and dropping his head, focused on his clasped hands. 

“It was… unexpected. They just roughed me up and got something from me. Just thieves I gather.” The monotonous tone revealed to both women that I was more than that. Lucifer himself wanted to distance himself from the event. 

“Did any of you see who attacked you?” The question had the expected effect on both people across Linda. They tensed with Chloe shaking her head but never meeting her eyes. Lucifer on the other hand just kept staring his hands without giving any answer. 

“What was taken from you?” 

Lucifer’s shoulders tremored with the child slipping slightly down to the couch before Lucifer realised what was happening. Securing her once more on his back he scratched his cheek and stole several fleeting glances of Linda. 

“My ring” He faintly revealed and his left hand caressed the bandaged finger over the layers of the dressing. 

“Almost degloving the flesh from his bone in the process.” An equally quiet reply came from Chloe who was looking intensively his hand’s movement over what she knew was still ripped and bloody underneath all that textile.

“Was the ring important to you?” A flash of crimson fire was gone as soon as it illuminated his eyes making Chloe think it was but a trick of the light. 

“Lucifer what did that ring mean to you?” Linda pressed him and Chloe felt the couch starting rock slowly. 

“Everything…” The word came out in an almost inaudible gush of air. 

“Rings in our culture mean something Lucifer. Commitment, love, remembrance.” His eyes turned vacant lost in whatever memory he was reliving. 

“It was everything can’t we leave it at that?” The strain in his voice was giving away to hollowness. Lips pursing and teeth greeting was the only signs of aggravation over Linda’s questions. 

“Was it the stone? I remember a beautiful black onyx on a silver binding…-”

“It was not black. The stone and what was inside of it were pieces of a one of a kind memories Linda.”  Flipping his hair with his left hand’s fingers he met the curious gaze of the good doctor. 

“What kind of memories?” Her tapping heel on the hard stone underneath made him tighten his left hand into a fist. She had probed too far she noted when he kept staring at her without blinking.  

“First experiences, redemption, punishment, loss to name a few. But these are also stored in here.” He said pointing his temple with his rigid posture never relaxing.

“Was it the band which meant more than the stone itself then?” Linda knew this would either end up into another broken wall or a breakthrough. Noticing the protective touches on the child’s hands from Lucifer she was willing to take her chances and aim for the second. 

“I already told you! It meant everything! Back then it meant everything.” He made a move to get up before the pattern of Trixie's breath changed and immobilised him immediately looking back at the sleeping child in concern. 

“You said back then. When exactly?” He was forcing himself to relax for the sake of the little girl behind him. For Linda that was a sign of self-regulation through a safety object. Therefore, the poking still had some more way to go. 

“Father needed grown children around and we were too young. Of course, after a while, he saw the benefit of having young children around and so myriad younger ones were created as well. Manipulated boneless little things they were the lot of them.” 

His eyes sought the light coming from the midday sun above the L.A. There was a time when a similar light could be seen glowing from the very walls of a certain city. 

“Where children were made, He decided upon building a city. It was named the Silver City. Many perished there while father sat and watched. “ 

The swallowed sob from Chloe was similar to the one she had to force down the other day yet it remained unnoticed by Lucifer who was literally aeons away. They had been right and from what he was saying more children had been taken away and disappeared with no one ever noticing aside from the victims themselves. 

“Long before I was sent away I had a small piece of that city made into a jewellery to keep everything that mattered to me close at all times. But in the end, He ripped it off me. Only the chain was salvaged by his fury.” Shaking fingers delved into the bandages making Chloe take his left hand into hers to draw soothing circles around his palm.  

It was an awkward position and the gesture had Lucifer looking at her in question. The moment was though lost when Linda decided that he had enough time to recover from his admission over what had happened at home.

“Lucifer do you think that perhaps you escaped rather than you were kicked out?” She asked him frowning in amusement when she saw his thumb returning the favour on Chloe’s hands. 

Linda would always ask neutral questions. She had never picked a side on the matter of his Fall and in a way he had appreciated on how she always made him question things. Yet this was not one of these moments. 

“Father will always meddle even from afar. And when he does not... It leads to events such as the recent one with Uriel. What kind of Father just sits and watch something like that Doctor?” 

If they thought that he had reached his lowest point, the shuttering words that came out alarmed both women but from Linda’s nervous ticking of the pen on her notebook there was something more disturbing to be discussed. Or to _not_ be discussed. 

“I don't think it is prudent to discuss that during this particular session.” Linda told him firmly cutting him off for the first time while glancing at Chloe. That didn’t make Lucifer comply, though. 

“Linda how do you deal with the knowledge that your own Father wanted to eliminate you after you acted out?" Chloe’s hands tightened on his and bit her lip close enough to draw some blood. 

"I doubt that's the case. Six years in Los Angeles and I believe that if He had wanted something like that, we wouldn't be talking now. But what is more interesting is how you came to that conclusion."

"My Mother told me." He admitted and his head turned downwards. 

"Lucifer do you trust your mother?" Linda had seen how far Charlotte would go to manipulate Lucifer. Moreover, the man was deeply terrified by her even he was acting like he was indifferent to her presence nearby. 

"Trust no. Understand as of late? That's a close yes." He admitted. 

Chloe was sure she was missing something. This had nothing to do with metaphors or even their assault the day prior.  

"I'm trying to understand what are you talking about but I still don't get it. You are hiding something Lucifer, something that's has nothing to do with metaphors. Please help me understand." She had broken every promise she had given to Linda that day but the man before her was slowly withering away. 

"Understand? Understand Detective? You have refused to acknowledge what I have repeatedly laid in the open before you, thus, how can you understand what I do not ever wish to disclose?"

There was no anger or the slightest irritation in his voice just grief. An immeasurable deep sorrow.

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

__

* * *

 

Songs Used for this Entry:   

 

[All The King's Horses - Karmina ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1j2LoW3P14)

This song was used for the session with Linda. I think that the lyrics are conveying the true meaning of that scene. 

[Living - Bakermat ft. Alex Clare](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuK2W5JgAZ4)

Eurielle[ \- City of The Dead](https://youtu.be/5VInr-cSNNU?list=RDu1j2LoW3P14%20)

Not a real fan of this one to be honest... 

[Ella Fitzgerald - Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fzZ4l2H5-w) 

 

I was also listening to Rob Thomas - The Great Unknown which had me in tears while writing the session. A bit too much? Yes. Still, , that song will be in the song list of chapter 8 or 9. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Something occurred to me while writing this chapter… Have we ever heard Trixie lying? Manipulating Chloe over a doll yes, but actually lying? Interesting… 
> 
> 2) The Cake Monkey Bakery is real. Their selection is really good and obviously not accessible to me as I don’t live in US. Still while I was searching for the best bakery the name and their cakes sealed the deal for me. If anyone visits the place please let me know about their Huckleberry Forest Cake.


	8. The Periapt of Sir Douche

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of The Periapt of Sir Douche:
> 
> The session didn't have the desired effect but at least it got Lucifer up and running once more. Yet to make things even more troublesome a murder is reported and certain evidence takes everyone by surprise with unexpected consequences arising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning there are some light gore scenes in this one*

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

 

* * *

 

**The Periapt of Sir Douche**

 

 

 

> _"What do you think I’m insecure about?"_  
>  _"That you_ are _changing and that you don’t know_ what _is causing the change or_ who _."_
> 
>  

 

Finding some space to breathe inside a stuffy elevator was not normal. Between the gold pillars and the mirror, helplessness could be spotted in every tensed muscle of her body.

Barely supported by her extended hands into each side of the cabin, she stared herself in the mirror. Stormy blue eyes looked at her back. Beads of sweat were trickling from her temples which were bobbing at every setting of her jaw.

The doors open to shed light to the dark bar. Without its usual music and the single blinding beam targeting on the baby grand piano in the middle of the bar, the area looked almost grey and infernal. A great contrast from the penthouse she had fled from.

Behind the bar’s counter, Maze was playing with one of the vodka bottles before pouring a generous amount in a glass.

“Did he go under again?” Three pairs of eyes studied her shaken form from top to bottom.

“Pour me one Maze.” Unperturbed by her demand she complied and held back her tongue on asking again how Lucifer was fairing upstairs.

Chloe’s hand shook slightly before downing the first swill.

“Have you fulfilled your purpose?” Charlotte deserted her pink martini next to Amenadiel’s and when Chloe’s hands resumed its light shaking, Charlotte pinned them on the bar.

“Charlotte. How was Lucifer as a child?” The tremors under Charlotte’s hands had not ceased but her forceful pinning relaxed by the question.

“He was… cheerful…” Lucifer’s childhood had lasted for more than a human would ever understand or care to do so.

“Mischievous?” The trembling reached Chloe’s lips and freeing her hands she lifted the glass to her lips.

“More than Heaven could handle, enough for his Father to always laugh at his antics.” Charlotte’s voice was distant and filled with a bittersweet taste of a pleasant time now long gone.

At the mentioning of Father, Chloe tensed but the far away look of Charlotte’s eyes held her back from asking on what Father actually laughed to.

Seeking for comfort the woman stood behind a downward staring Amenadiel. She hugged the man from behind and he leaned on her embrace under the calculating gaze of Maze.

_Oh God, not Amenadiel too._

“He was his usual self before I left him to wrap up his session with Linda.”

She cleared her throat from the hoarseness that had settled on the suspicion that the brothers may have had the same rough childhood Amenadiel had once told her about.

Finishing her drink she had a refill without ever having to ask for one. She doubted the glasses each person had in front of them were their firsts since coming down to the bar.

With the only light coming from the bar’s liquor selection behind Maze the silence carried as an ominous portent. That was how Dan found them half an hour later. 

“Hey!” He greeted Chloe and placed a quick kiss to her cheek attempting to not look affected by Charlotte’s presence. 

“Hey... You think you can take Trixie back home?” She hoped that she wouldn’t have to confront her mother this early. The less she knew at the moment the better. 

“Trixie is here?” Dan asked surprised looking around before Maze winked at him knowingly. 

“Don’t ask. Anything new about _that_ case?” Discussing Father Frank around the people who were this close to Lucifer was like asking them for a hit if the priest was indeed still alive. 

“No reason for asking for permission. It was empty.” Chloe would have sworn that for a moment she was a wall between him and the other people of the room but after this morning this was not a mystery she wanted to solve.   
  
“Empty?” She asked and her eyebrows frowned

“With these all around.” He told her and taking his phone out he showed her the picture he had taken from the cemetery this very morning. 

The grave had been empty. Heck, the coffin had been opened askew as well yet on better inspection the ground was filled with dusty brown feathers. Who else had suspicions that the priest had been alive all along? 

“There is more. A gruesome murder scene in Midas Jewels has just been reported and they talk about a  _ring_ _”_  The last word was barely audible but had Amenadiel’s ears perk up at the attempt to refrain them from hearing their exchange. 

The elevator's doors opened illumining the ground floor of the club. Linda came out with a thoughtful expression not minding their curious gazes. Whereas Linda had come out from the cabin in a hasty manner, the man behind her walked with confidence into the darkness of the club.

Almost black eyes met a pair of blue in the darkness of the bar.

Dressed in impeccably pressed pants and a crisp shirt he had dropped his blazer over a sleeping Beatrice and walked slowly towards the small gathering. With his facial hair trimmed and his locks set back, Chloe could see a glimpse of the man she knew.

Lucifer’s steps were heavy but graceful. The added weight over his right shoulder did not seem to bother him. Without a word, Maze filled a glass and set it on the counter for him.

“Better?” Chloe asked him when he emptied his drink in one go.

“Much.” He replied and Chloe noticed Linda’s worried eyes trained on him.

“Mind if I take that from you?” Dan cut in and extended his arms to take the sleeping child from him.

In the past year, she had known him, he had abhorred any notion of being closer to her daughter than that of the bare minimum. At least when Chloe was around. She had known him to be less dramatic over his and her daughter's interactions when she was absent. Trixie had just grown in him but he was too stubborn to admit it.

His mouth slacked slightly open at Dan’s question as if not expecting such as request. Recovering quickly but not before everyone in the room had observed his reluctance to give the child to her father, he dropped gently her into Dan’s arms.

“Cake…” Her sleepy muttering earned her a chuckle by both men.

“Do not fress all of your stash today.” Lucifer whispered unsuccessfully while trying to keep the information from the mother’s ears.

“-Kay” She puffed with a small sigh before sleep overtook her again.

Lucifer released her fingers from the tight grasp they had on his blazer and nodded to Dan to take her.

“I’ll get her to Penny and see you at the scene then?” He asked her rearranging Trixie on his shoulder. With an affirmative tilt of her head, she agreed trying to ignore Lucifer’s questioning eyes.

“Detective?” He asked while shaking his head in distaste at his brother’s pink martini.

“I’m going to be blunt Lucifer. Can you keep up or will you have a break down half way to the crime scene’s investigation?”

Cuddling never worked well with Lucifer. He walked away or humoured the situation until he infuriated her. When she had tried cuddling once he had mocked her over offering fuzzy hugs. At the moment he needed her to be his usual caring but stern detective.

Despite his active interest in the case, his eyes followed Dan leaving until he had gone up the stairs without a hassle.

“And they say that people don’t change.” She chuckled making him turn sharply. Eyebrows pulling together he huffed and raised his glass for seconds.

“People do change. Demons, angels and perhaps even Gods do that Detective but the Devil… The Devil does not. After this morning, I can assure you of that with great confidence.” He glanced behind at Linda and she ducked her eyes not willing to meet his.

“Just remember that Lucifer.” Charlotte had stayed a bystander for longer than Chloe had given her credit to.

“Believe me M- Charlotte… The dear doctor was rather helpful today.” Flashing her a playful grin he was not surprised to see that Linda did not reciprocate.

“Answer the question Lucifer. Can you get out there today?” After a tense minute he curtly nodded his head but the tension on his jaw had not left. She hoped this was not a mistake.

“What’s the case by the way?” He asked her hopping from the stool and buttoning his blazer, never minding the obvious wrinkling by a child’s fist near his lapel.

“Murder.” She told him carefully noting for any change in his demeanour.

“Details Detective. I’m in there, remember?” He chided her with a merriment that was not there when she had first arrived. Just what he had talked with Linda about?

Everyone in the room was probably thinking the same thing. They were all trying to find a crack in the armour of the man he was so obviously broken just a mere hour ago. The only one who had resorted to keeping to herself was Linda.

“A gold dealer was murdered last night. The sight is not pretty as far as I’ve been told.” She admitted not sure on how far he could push Lucifer with acts of violence today.

“Gold… I never understood the enthralment of humans with that metal, to be honest.” His focus had been on the material and not the murder. That was part of his Luciferness but not pacifying altogether.

“Dan said that there is talk about a ring…” At the last uttered word Lucifer’s body went still and a sardonic smile appeared. She could read his mind loud and clear. Punishment.

“Lucifer!” Linda gasped from behind them rising from her seat.

“Doctor.” He reprimanded with an eerie calmness. Linda shook her head and taking her bag she hastily made her way up the stairs of the club.

“Promise me that this will not be the same wild goose chase.” She whispered eyeing the last of her drink swirling in her glass as she twirled it around nervously.

“When have I ever gave you that impression?” His good-humoured offended stance did not fool her.

“The wings. If that case is anything like the one before I want you willingly benched. Am I clear?” Straightening her leather jacket she got up and left her glass behind waiting for Lucifer to follow but not before hearing Maze scolding her over a waste of perfectly good liquor.

“I’ll be an angel. A fallen one but an angel nonetheless.” He promised her and with a pointed look, a quick understanding went between Lucifer and his brother making Chloe roll her eyes.

“Come on now! Have I ever lied to you?” He insisted and fixed his cufflinks in a gesture she had come to recognise as uneasiness.

“Not that I know of. But it is not the lies Lucifer. What worries me, is the half truths.” Biting the inside of her cheek she saw him turning solemn and drop his hands on his sides.

“No lies. No half truths. Not now, not ever.”

The intensity in his eyes had her desperately wanting to believe him and for now, she would. He was a good man always dictated by the sense of noblesse oblige, a plumper’s son or not he carried at least that. It was just that which had born certain long dormant feelings since meeting him. 

 

* * *

 

Taking her agitation on breaking the mint leaves did nothing to placid her. Muddling the mint with the brown sugar she did it with such vigour Amenadiel distanced his now empty cocktail glass from the rolling limes on the counter.

“He is still unstable.” Charlotte remarked licking the sugar from the edge of her glass.

“No shit Charlock!” The clanking from the under the counter revealed a glinting sharp ice pick which made Charlotte’s eyes narrow.

“Mum I think we should postpone telling him.” His timid suggestion had Maze’s eye rolling. The man, no angel, had not only lost his wings lately but also another pair of his anatomy.

“We discussed this. All of us!” Charlotte snidely insisted challenging Maze to deny it.

“And things have changed _Mum_ …” She set with a thud the mojito in front of Amenadiel splashing a good portion of it on his hands and sleeves.

“He needs to know Mazikeen. Knowledge is power haven’t you heard?”

“After Uriel, Lucifer is slowly breaking down. Have you even thought of the consequences? The questions? The defiance in which this knowledge may lead to?” She pressed spreading her arms on each side of the counter in front of her.

“Come on now Maze! He is Lucifer, a few days of empty remorse and he was back flirting and fucking his way around this city.” Amenadiel scoffed with the sour taste of the mojito making him grimace. Just how much lime had she put in this drink?

“He is the Devil. He is not supposed to care but the bloodied fallen angel I remember cared and after yesterday he is making a comeback. I don’t like it or find it natural but it does.”

Throwing the towel in the sink behind her she picked Chloe’s borrowed grey coat and left mother and son behind.

“Mother?” Amenadiel questioned Charlotte at the sound of her long nails tapping on the black granite of the counter. 

“I will not lose another son due to humanity ever again.” She whispered looking up to the black supporting beams of the club.

“Perhaps we should wait before he is… better” Amenadiel suggested and hugged the woman from behind trying to offer as much support as he could.

“He was such a robust little boy remember?” She asked the man behind her as well as the Heaven’s above.

“No one ever knew what he would next, he was a menace really.” He joked and rubbing his mother’s arms he led her up the stairs.

“Yes, no one ever knew…” She agreed sighing.

 

* * *

 

The city had not changed in the past twenty-four hours. There were no heavy clouds or any kind of agitation aside from the impending expectations of the changing year in a few days. Biting his thumb’s nail he refrained from breaking it or biting too hard with the Detective close by. Speaking of…

“Would you please stop checking on me the _wrong_ way?” He pleaded turning to see her spinning her head back to the road despite having been caught.

“Like what?” She feigned ignorance pushing the breaks at the red light but still refusing to take her eyes from the traffic light.

“The _good_ way promises to devour something which we have to work on. The _wrong_  way entails expecting me to drop on the spot at every passing second!” He grumbled finding himself also engrossed on the red traffic light.

“Will you?” She asked too low to be sure she had actually replied to him. A passing glance at the car’s steering wheel he saw her fingers whiten from the strong grip she had on it.

“Not today Detective… not today.” And it was the truth. It would take him some time to regulate things but...-

“What does it feel like. Being under I mean…” His mood seemed to be improving being outside under the sun’s warmth regardless of the wintry weather.

“Drugs?” He asked unimpressed.

“Catatonia.” She clarified in exasperation.

“Oh… Like being underwater. Peaceful, relaxed able to stop thinking but also freezing cold.” He shuddered to shake away the last feeling he knew it had nothing to do with Chloe’s ability to make him vulnerable.

“That sounds like drugs.” She pointed out and parked the car outside a jewellery store with the usual yellow police tape at its perimeter.

“I wouldn’t know Detective. Although Linda’s ban now makes some moderate sense.” How could a man go from unresponsive, to infuriated and then to _this_ she had no idea.

At the sight of blood splatter on the glass divider between the back office and the store, Lucifer’s lips parted in a toothy smile. Gold dealing was always a dangerous job, especially for a fence business. The gold-plated cheap pieces on the windows were a bad cover for the real operation of this establishment.

“The guy is behind the counter and Detective… it’s a _really_ gruesome one.” The on-duty officer of the area informed Chloe and let them pass behind the glass divider of the shop.

Ella was hunched over the victim while her flashlight moved around where his face was. The grin that had appeared on his face was wiped off when he noticed the amount of the blood around the desk. Cursing he moved Ella forcefully from the dead man getting a startled yelp of surprise in return from the petite woman.

“Bloody… not.” His fist collided with the worn wooden desk making several of the previously carefully packed receipts to fly around.

“Lucifer what are you doi-… Oh my God!” She covered her mouth turning into a sickly green colour. It was the first time he had seen her so affected by the sight of a murder scene and they had been in plenty.

From the several officers around he could now understand that it was not just the Detective. There was an apprehension to come closer to the victim. Everyone stayed a good seven to eight feet away trying to look as little as they could at the bastard behind him.

“Yes, congratulations you got it on the first try.” Lucifer growled and palmed his face trying to reorganise his thoughts. Looking back he knew where he had seen that before.

The _very_ dead middle-aged man was partly seating on an old chair surrounded by the scattered receipts. His dirty blonde hair had a gel residue which should have them neatly combed to the side trying to hide the beginning of a balding spot near the centre yet his hair was raised, his mouth agape and his eyes widened and missing. Well, at least one them was.

The left socket was empty with coal black hollow gap between his eyelids. Discharge and blood were staining the previously plump cheeks of making Lucifer wince at remembering a similar experience but also the reason why he had resulted in such kinds of torture.

Though what he was more interested in was the socket filed with the something that would have been an eye at one point as well to the pink lashes over the man’s face. Red rimmed with melted eyelashes all around, the only of sclera’s white could be found near the now grey-bluish cornea.

“This is not punishment Detective. It’s disappointment.” Shuffling the papers around the office his frustration peaked at every passing moment.

“This is disappointment?” She questioned and turned to Ella who was studying the body with a newfound excitement.

“The poor chap could not deliver…” He explained her in a hurry still going through everything on the top of the desk.

“At least not completely.” Lucifer exhaled in relief at the sight of the sparkling single diamond earring under the heavy green rotary phone.

“Hands!” Ella admonished stopping Lucifer from touching the small jewellery.

Lucifer’s hard stare did not faze Ella at picking the earring by its gold binding.

“Something is stuck between the binding .” Ella observed and switched on the green bankers lamp.

“Blood and ash.” The man towering her informed her and tried to snatch the object from the nipper’s edge.

“A wild guess?” Ella asked him putting the diamond again in front of the light to get a closer look after his attempt to take it away.

“It was inside your ring.” Chloe interrupted them from behind. She was holding a large leather bound book of notes and sketches organised per day of delivery and process of taking apart each piece.

“Yes, Detective now can I have it back?” He asked impatiently glaring Ella who put it in a plastic evidence bag and leaving it on the desk she went back to the body.

“Metal type unidentified. 0.67 ounces. Jewel type unidentified. Emerald cut 7.44 carats. Comments: Unusual weight” Reciting all the observations of the dealer his fists tightened on the flaring sense of violation he felt his ring had gone through.

“Let me tell you what happened Detective.” He caught her elbow and took her in front of the grey skinned body.

“This man had a very simple job. To take apart my ring.” The rubbing at his needlessly bandaged right hand did nothing to give some relief at the missed weight around his middle finger.

“All he had to do was to take the stone out, pulverise it without the diamond and then melt the binding.” The granite mortar was still sparkling of the remains the stone had left behind, while the fire cannon was carelessly thrown at the other side of the room.

“This man had one of his eyes burned to the core while the other was properly churned. Unfortunately for him even after death, the frustration of his killer could not be helped.” He told her and with the back of the pen, he trailed the several slashes on the man’s face and neck.

Ella nodded in agreement the whole time and then took the pen from Lucifer before he started poking a bit too much for her liking.

“He is right. The slashes did not bleed at the volume a pulsing body would have been. The splatter on the window was done by the object it was used not the blood pressure or the depth of the cuts.”

“Additionally he was not murdered. At least not directly.” Lucifer sighed in annoyance pointing the man’s nose. There was always a loophole here or there.

“Lucy you are a genius!” Ella exclaimed directing her flashlight in the nostrils.

“I am _not_ a 1960’s tv show wife Ms Lopez!” Lucifer hissed without the previous effect he had on her a few months ago.

“May I be a part of this if you don’t mind?” Chloe demanded a little too irritated by Lucifer’s and Ella’s interaction.

“We are in a gold dealing establishment Detective. To extort the gold you need mercury but this guy has obviously done that for years so why die now?” The question put everything in perspective.

“It was planned.” She breathed and rubbed her forehead in distress.

“As it was the attack.” He noted darkly.

“Make no mistake detective. This man was subjected to inhaling forcefully mercury vapour on a regular basis and yet he trusted his killer enough to believe he would be saved.” With a sigh, he gave a final look at the poor bastard and his unbandaged hand tried to prove a certain plastic bag from the top of the desk.

“Do not even think of stealing the evidence. Eating them was bad enough last time.” The Detective warned him and his smug grin faltered.

“Only if you promise me that it will be returned.” Bargaining was the best option for now. Lucifer of all people would know. 

“Don’t worry I promise. But the rock was broken down to dust Lucifer.” The traces of black smudges near the spot he had found the diamond earring were enough evidence to know that nothing had been left from the impressive deep burgundy rock.

“Who said I ever cared about that rock?”

“Is that a Russian dolls reply again?” She challenged. He had promised no partial truths but a habit was a tough thing to break in less than an hour.

“Getting back what was in that mash of blood and ash will be beyond pleasing but retrieving the binding is of the utmost importance here.” He admitted and caught himself from expressing a whimpered displeasure at the officer who picked the plastic bag along with others around the site for the investigation’s archive.

“I guess the ring’s binding was not melted down then.” Gently she caught his arm and led him back at the front of the store.

“No, it would need temperatures much higher than the ones achievable to turn to a liquidised form.” At the though he breathed better now. He still had time but the issue remained, how could someone bypass the first of all commands? How could a sibling of his kill?

“If I ask why the binding is so important would you answer me? Truthfully?”

There were very few things that had turned to be his undoing. Small things usually which led to big disasters and his main reason of despair. Now the Detective was steadily becoming one of them. He had come to admire the light azure skies and the deep sapphire oceans early in his existence and now he was captivated by their medium which was trapped in the two orbs that were waiting for his reply.

“I miss… it’s warmth.” This was the truth as he had come to rely for warmth on that ring for longer than he was willing to admit.

The moment was there. In the midst of rushing police officers and dressed in white forensics. Under the fragrance of vanilla spurting from an air freshener above them and surrounded by what this world offered so easily. Greed, blood and death. And it had to all come crashing down at the faintest whiff of something unexpected. Announcing itself with the ringing of the front door’s bell there was odour of sanctity.

“Dan.” Chloe greeted with a smile for the second time that day.

“Chloe, Lucifer.” He waved at the man with a tight-lipped scowl.

“Sir Douche.” He saluted a bit too much enthusiasm to pass as genuine.

“Arse.” They heard Dan say under his breath.

“Boys!” She warned them and went off to check the gathered evidence on the top of a nearby showcase.

“I said, Sir!” Lucifer exclaimed with an overly innocent tone which had Chloe raise her palm for him to simply stop speaking.

They avoided any kind of eye contact until Chloe called for Dan. Not missing a bit Lucifer got in front of Sir Douche while putting his best performance he had ever given on an  _interest face_  over one of the many plastic bags.

“Dan?” She addressed to the man behind him but his fingers were already prying the bag from her fingers.

Lucifer stood frozen over her finding only to stumble shortly afterwards catching the fragile showcase for support.

A sole dark brown glistering feather had been stuck on that bloody window and now was safely enclosed as evidence under the perplexed eyes of the two detectives. The third pair of eyes was stayed unblinking for some time before a hand on his lower back forced him to take a breath.

Dan observed the room where statements were taken and everyone seemed so preoccupied to discuss over every detail of the case behind the window. He had already heard the story through the radio as he drove to the crime scene so he knew it was an ugly case.

Without waiting for Chloe to decide or think about the possibility o what he was about to do, he swiftly put the plastic bag in his hoodie’s front pocket. Lucifer did not question his actions but he turned to glare at Chloe.

“Why can _he_ take a bag?” He demanded in a low voice and extended his hand towards a seemingly empty bag only for Chloe to slap it back. The wounded expression on his face was admittedly hilarious for Dan but when black eyes met his he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. 

“If you excuse me then.” She thought he was pouting as always when he was denied mischief or ownership over what he believed was his and his alone. Getting out of the shop she saw him taking out a cigarette and relieved she began talking to Dan in a hushed voice.

“I think it’s the same. The two cases are connected, Chloe.” Dan whispered taking out his phone to check the photo he had taken earlier that morning.

“Should we call Ella for a favour then?” She asked spotting Ella getting out of the crime scene meaning they had a few minutes before she took off for the station’s lab.

“I’ll talk to her back to the station. You try to find a sitter for Lucifer.” He chuckled at his own joke missing how her features clouded. Lucifer had not been the only one affected by that attack but this was not the place or the time to ponder of what she would need from Linda in the near future.

Patting him on the arm she got out of the shop expecting to find Lucifer taking his last drags off the cigarette while leisurely laying on the side of her car. Lucifer was nowhere to be found and neither was her car.

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

 

* * *

Song for this Entry:

[Pieces - Rob Thomas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O11UikJigxo)

Why? Well... Because of the lyrics of course. 

 _Didn't I tell_ you, you _were gonna break down_  
_Didn't I warn you, didn't I warn you_  
_Better take it easy, try to find a way out_

 _There's a weight in the air but you can't see why, why_  
  
_Didn't I tell you, you were gonna break down_  
_Didn't I want you, everybody wants you._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Elemental mercury or quicksilver is not as dangerous as mercury vapour. Victims of mercury vapour poisoning have been reported dying just two weeks after inhaling the substance. 
> 
> 2) I was thinking (a dangerous thing I know)…. Lux is on the bottom floor while the penthouse on the top. Lux is almost grey and although it has a timeless elegance, it reminded me a lot of Hell. Dark, sinful and a place where desire is loose. You can say that the same happens with the penthouse when it comes to being the lair of sexual acts and wild parties. Yes. 
> 
> But the penthouse is always open, filled with great windows and NOTHING has a door that can be closed aside from elevators. There are no doors whatsoever, got it? Not even the elevators count much as whoever wants to go up to the penthouse can actually do that. So what’s the point of writing this? In my perspective, the bar is a controlled Hell while the penthouse a controlled Heaven/Silver City. That alone is the source of inspiration for a future mini project I have in mind for the summer. ;)


	9. Black as a Devil's Feather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Black as a Devil's Feather:
> 
> Lucifer is found at the most unexpected place, in a grave and drastic measures are taken. It's all a matter of trust though and he still has Chloe's but for how long it remains to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning: Grief and a Dead Body appear in this chapter*
> 
> This is a chapter that I waited for a long while to write and probably one of my favourites plot wise. Still, it doesn't flow as good as I hoped it would.

 

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

  

**Black as a Devil's Feather**

 

 

> For the first & last time, a song before you begin a chapter: [The Great Unknown -Rob Thomas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDJb5KpQuQ)

 

The sunlit clouds were riding high on the clear blue sky of Los Angeles, like they always did after a night of heavy rain. These rainy nights were some of Lucifer's favourites, weather wise. He always fancied getting some well aged sweet rum and in the security that the deep navy sky graciously offered him, he had his own little ritual.

The drizzling L.A. nights were always rolling away to orange tinted mornings with the company of elicited keynotes, under indolently pressed ivory keys. Instead this morning had found him curled in a corner of his penthouse.

In his rare moments of lucidness, he was aware of how the loss of the ring had affected him. He had gone through this particular stage aeons ago yet now there was no trace of what he had lost, left back to comfort him.

That had prompted his dear family to arrange a rather lovely session which had him now stuck between dear Linda and his nosey Detective. Spilling your guts out was _not_ how he had planned this day going, though he complied on replying as always in honesty all Linda’s questions. Yet for someone honest was not received as well as he hoped it would.

"I'm trying to understand what are you talking about but I still don't get it. You are hiding something Lucifer, something that's has nothing to do with metaphors. Please, help me understand!”

The strain on her thin lips did not make him repeat once again who he was, _what_ he was. No matter how many times he would thrust that information to her, she refused to acknowledge the possibility that he was not delusional. At the same time, how could he explain on what he had resorted doing for her? Or worse, the true meaning of what he had lost?

"Understand? Understand Detective? You have refused to acknowledge what I have repeatedly laid in the open before you, thus, how can you understand what I do not ever wish to disclose?"

He had once hoped that this affair of theirs would have been a challenge, which would find its resolution between his black satin sheets. Somewhere between his passion and her release they would have unsnarled themselves from each other. Now he hoped for an ending where she would never realise just how vile his true nature was.

“I believe it would be for the best if we continue this with just the two of us Lucifer.” Linda cut the pregnant pause in the room.

He bobbed his head and never spared a glance at Chloe. Lucifer had heard the leather stretching under her scratching nails. He had also sensed her uneasiness as she repositioned herself after his verbal outburst.

“If that’s what you believe he needs.” She admitted in defeat and Lucifer felt her weight being lifted from the couch.

Cold hands touched his right shoulder and he flinched back.

“What are you doing?!” He asked Chloe curiously, distancing himself from her freezing hands.

“Taking my daughter with me!” She admonished reaching for the child again, only for Lucifer to draw Beatrice further back, between the couch and his body.

“Chloe just leave her for now.” A peculiar understanding passed between her and Linda before sighing. Her eyes softened on the sight of the ridiculous  man and the sleeping child.

In need to reaffirm Beatrice’s presence near him, he lifted her higher on his back. Warmth crept under his ribs and up to the crook of his neck where her left cheek was currently nestling.

The elevator’s doors closed behind Chloe and he exhaled not his relief as he had expected, but a slow agonised gush of air which made its way forcefully out of his lungs.

“Lucifer?” Linda brought him back to reality with a light pat on his knee with her pen.

“I thought her presence would have helped balance yourself long enough, but you are starting to shut down again.” She noted and chewed the cap of the pen, something that Lucifer had never seen her doing ever before.

“No Doctor. I think that we are safe from that ever happening again. It was just a side-effect from the ring’s absence.” He admitted and swayed a bit when he felt Beatrice’s breathing quicken.

“What was the meaning of that ring Lucifer? The real one, now that Chloe is gone.” With Chloe leaving he felt oddly more relaxed on talking about how the loss of that ring affected him.

“When I Fell, I also lost my light-bring gift. My gift was given from the millisecond of my conception. It was ripped from me and all its warmth was taken from it as well.”

“So the ring symbolises your light-bringing power which was taken from you.” Linda concluded relating the experience to a traumatic childhood trauma.

An unhealthy dependence on objects after losing one, in such a traumatic way and at what she guessed was a young age on Lucifer’s life, was understandable. Even more so its effect of losing also its substitute in such a way.

“No… It symbolises the loss I couldn’t prevent. But it is also a reminder of what Earth could unexpectedly offer me.” His chin lowered to his chest making the small mouth on his neck, slack open just enough for a dribble of drool to trickle down his chest.

Linda would have expected all the good graces the man had with the child, to end at the shiny drop of saliva which made its way down his smooth skin. Lucifer though was too deep into thought to feel or even care about his Detective’s offspring dripping her fluids all over him.

“And what is that?” She asked still awestruck at Lucifer’s tolerance over Trixie this morning.

“The illusion of truly being cared for I suppose.” His reply was reserved but still pain-stricken.

It was the reply of a man who had long stopped believing that basic caring had anything to do with the emotion of love. A parent’s love or a partner’s was deemed as an impossible feat for him given to experience, without any strings attached.

“Lucifer there are many people who care for you. Your family, Chloe, even the kid behind you.” Shifting the sleeping form just enough to bring her on his front, he secured a hand over the tiny waist before lifting them together off the couch.

“Care….” He tasted apprehensively the word itself on his tongue.

Getting the closest bottle from the bar and two glasses, he purred himself a double scotch. The solacing burn could not be noticed anymore by his throat as he downed a glass after glass.

“Lucifer… What does drinking offer you? You and Maze seem to have a… fascinating dependence on liquor.” Pushing her glasses down she waited for him to finally fill her a finger of the amber liquid before replying.

“Maze drinks because it reminds her of home. She is basically inhaling her beloved burning ash with every drop.”

Mazekeen had a home once but was chased away from it due to the circumstances of her birth. Lucifer had made sure that Hell would be more welcoming to her than Creation had ever been. This was the main reason she never felt as liberated on Earth as he had. She knew who she was once and he had changed that by dragging her into a world where she had to reevaluate the meaning of home once more.

“And for you?”

His eyes scanned the sky outside the window, where the clouds lazily made their way north to the mountains of San Gabriel.

“The taste holds a very dear memory to me... But the fleeting burning warmth? That’s my safety line. Remembrance and a way to stop this coldness from seeping in my bones.” Rubbing his eyes he sighed at the little relief he could find from this action.

“But you don’t feel cold.”

Lucifer had issues with his invulnerability but she guessed that the redness which was slowly appearing in his eyes, had nothing to do with Chloe’s proximity nor due to his devilish appearance.

“Not in the sense humans do. But believe me when you leave a place where warmth practically radiates off you, anything else is not even remotely pleasant.”

His chin tremored and in obvious defeat, he gulped down one more glass. Shaking his head Linda knew that he could not get what he was searching from the content of that bottle.

“Lucifer-“ She began trying to extract more about the reason behind his present state.

She halted when she saw him for the first time that day, really looking at Trixie. He was studying the child with a troubled expression, that was reflecting from his tired features.

“Mum wanted a new baby. So He brought her one. Uriel. He was so small…” Slumping back to the couch he took the small body with him and secured her head on the crook of his neck once more.

“You are jumping to another subject Lucifer!” Linda warned him wondering how he had managed to keep the child asleep for so long, whilst moving around.

“I had to take care of him you know. He was one of the few little ones Father ever created. Everyone else just came along already grown and ready for duty. Smug bastards… Though Mum loved them as her own.”

He swallowed thickly making his Adam’s apple bob. Uriel had been as small as Beatrice once and Lucifer had fiercely cared for that nagging little rant as well.

“And you feel that you failed.” She guessed from the pain his gaze upon Trixie held.

“I have not changed Linda. I’m a screw-up patient but underneath all this, there is still the Devil you saw that night.”

He had long stopped trying to fool himself into believing he was something else than what he had been appointed to be. Or afterwards, what he had been punished to become. An angel. A devil. Perhaps he was never given the choice really. The Devil was not meant to change even if he wanted to. Father had shown him that loud and clear the previous day.

“Your brother didn’t give you a choice Lucifer.” She reasoned calmly with the feeling his agitation would not only awake Trixie but she would also lose him in a false breakthrough.

“But I had one Doctor! And as always I made perhaps the wrong choice.” He pondered the last spoken aloud sentence carefully.

“Uriel… When struck by that blade you are supposed to disappear forever. The Detective would have simply gone to the Silver City and for once she would have been safe from me.”

Lucifer thickening voice carried such conviction that had Linda worried this session had been but a bunch of clustered information. All carrying the wrong impact on Lucifer after he reevaluated them. He was open to confessing and sharing his deepest thoughts, but not on being guided out of his guilt and self-loathing. She was losing him.

“Lucifer…” She pleaded but he was far gone. Standing up once more he went up the stairs to his room, with the child still peacefully unconscious and unaware on his embrace.

“I think the breakthrough for today is that the Devil will never change my dear Linda.”

What he had once reluctantly revealed as bearing his vulnerability to her, was now momentarily shown to Linda as a warning. Crimson flesh made its flickering appearance just enough to remind her that the Devil was not to be carelessly poked. Yet the shaken alarming eyes on his form had nothing to do with what she knew Lucifer’s true form to be.

With his ruby eyes still glowing, he never questioned the good Doctor’s shell-shocked expression. Retreating to his room for changing into some decent clothing, he hoped his loss to have really been only of sentimental value. For a man who didn’t lie to the world, he had the exceptional ability to lie to himself.

 

* * *

 

The earth all around him was still wet from last night’s rain. The sun had set for the past ten minutes or so but he knew exactly where to find what he was looking for.

His last remaining pair of leather shoes were diving in the mud, making his stepping heavy and emotionally draining by the enforced delay. Dirt was gathered in piles around the dug out pit he was walking towards to and his fears would soon materialise.

Standing over the deep grave he felt his body loosen up completely for the first time since this morning and collapse at the edge of the hole. Lucifer’s head turned upwards in question. His mouth opened yet nothing came out.

What was the point, he would have never answered after all.

With great effort, he stood again on his shaky legs and looked again at the bottom of the pit. In confusion, he wandered a short distance from the spot turning abruptly back and diving into the pit. His nails filled with the moist earth as he brushed the shady brown hair of his brother.

He was still there. Pale, motionless, definitely dead and stinking of sanctity. An odour though that it didn't spurt from Uriel. There was nothing pleasant coming from his deceased brother. Sin would do that to you, despite not rotting, would always carry an unmistakable stench. 

“Uriel?” he croaked, never expecting a reply but desperately praying for one.

The body was untouched by time as all celestial beings were in life or death. Two months had done nothing to change his appearance but someone had deemed his body worthy enough to be uncovered by the prime ingredient of humanity. Earth. 

In an impulse, Lucifer cradled the lifeless body in his arms much like he had done with Beatrice this morning. He sought out the comfort and the warmth that the small girl's body had offered him while lulled to sleep. The same feeling he once had while rocking a tiny Uriel in his arms as a toddler.

Nothing could shake the numbness of his very soul. The wet clothes of his brother accompanied with his grey clammy flesh, did not hold anything of the persisting little brat he once knew. Mourning had come too far and he had realised it too late. This had to be his final goodbye whilst admitting he had a choice. Father willing, he had probably made the right one.

Positioning Uriel back to the ground he traced his left index over his nose as he had done countless times before, to infuriate him as a child and patted his cheek.

“Never believe that I never cared for you brother.” He whispered brushing his wet limp hair off as much dirt as he could.

Satisfied by the result he clapped his hands, to get off as much mud as he could from his still bandaged hand, only to hiss at the feeling of being pricked.

Raising his hand for inspection there were several feathers stuck on the textile. _Angel wings to not wither…_

Glancing around for answers he noticed several more feathers around the hollow pit. A sense of dread filled him while kneeling and turning Uriel’s body face down.

“Fuck! Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck!” Trembling hands moved over the two sticky crescent wounds.

“Lucifer?”

_Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck indeed…_

 

* * *

 

The asphalt had long turned to dirt under the car’s tires. The road was getting them deeper into the deep fir-green forest. Far from the city, the creaking of the trees, at every passing strong wind, was the only sound heard through the car’s closed windows.

“Is it far?” Dan asked her slowing every now and then at the sight of a pothole a few feet away. They had already gone through two deep ones which had made the car protest every time at the sudden loss of balance.

“”Just half a mile down.” She answered with her eyes glued on her phone.

With Lucifer disappearing at an odd rate lately she had taken liberties on tracking his phone when he was going missing at the most inappropriate times. Soon at the edge of the road, she saw her car’s high-beam headlights. At the sudden turn of Dan's car, she was relieved to see that he had spotted the  lights as well.

Stopping the car in a good distance Chloe got out, but not before seeing Dan patting his left rib to check for his gun. The crackling ferns gave out of their boots which seeped into the soft ground at their every step as they got closer to the seeming deserted vehicle. 

The driver’s door had been left opened ajar, however, there was no sight of Lucifer anywhere nearby. What unnerved her though was the silence of the forest around them. The dark had fallen a while ago, nevertheless, this stillness was not natural. All her instincts were calling for her to step back to Dan's car and flee.

Her car’s beams were pointing on some scattered piles of dirt that had her heart palpitating almost painfully. Approaching the piles, she could see a deep hole in the middle. Careful not to come between the beams and the whatever light was getting in the pit she peeked inside preparing herself for the worst. She wished she knew what the worst was because this topped all the adverse expectations she may have had.

Lucifer was squatting awkwardly over a man. A seemingly lifeless man. The darkness was not revealing either of their features but she could recognise the harsh breathing of Lucifer when he was hyperventilating under pressure.

“Fuck! Fuckity, Fuck, Fuck!” His voice broke the silence in spitting low bewails at every voiced fuck.

“Lucifer?”

His hands jerked away from the man’s back and his face was lightened by the car’s beams. The lines on his forehead were deep almost scarring under this light. The smudges of dirt were all over his face and clothes but he did not seem to be aware of his degree of disarray.

“D…- De…- Detective?” Sweeping his bandaged hand across his forehead he winced and removed something dark and slender from his dressing.

“Damn you Lucifer!” Dan hissed from behind her realising what was in the hole with Lucifer at first glance. 

“Dan wait!” She snatched his sleeve and stopped him from reaching his phone.

“Do not ask me that, Chloe. He is in a fresh grave with a body!” Dan rushed telling her what she was unwilling to believe. It was the priest's murder all over again, although this time she was unsure on whether Lucifer was indeed innocent.

“Which he opened with what exactly Dan?”

Irrationally she hoped for a quiet resolution before confronting the man in the pit herself. She risked too much and it was precisely why she refused to believe that Lucifer would ever take a life willingly. Not after spending nearly a year together as partners and attached to the hip.

“You trust him. I respect that, but we are detectives Chloe! Do not ask that much from me. Not now. _Please_.” He pleaded and made the call supporting himself on her car’s open door.

“Lucifer?” He was still in the grave holding his abdomen trying to will himself not be sick at this turn of events.

She reached to take his hand and he pulled back. Keeping his injured hand still on his stomach with the other he rubbed his forearm.

“I’m sorry.” He offered in a low voice which was enough for her world to crash down along with his.

Noticing that he would not come out on his own, she jumped into the hole with him careful not to stomp on the body or any evidence there might have been laying around.

“I’m so sorry.” He echoed with a harsh cough that turned to unsuccessfully stifling sobs.

“Lucifer, I need you to keep yourself together and get out of here with me.” She had to get him out before the investigation team arrived.

At the same level as him, she could see how in a few hours had affected him. She should never have taken him on a case so soon. He was a broken man with his chin quivering at every attempt to inhale without an inhuman sound making it out of his throat.

Taking his hand into hers, she could feel the drying mud breaking in the firm clasp of their hands. Slowly she led him out of the hole and had him rest at the edge of it. Dan’s expression was hard and always kept his right hand near his left side, in a posture that was anything but casual in Chloe’s experienced eyes.

Sure enough at the sound of screeching tires, Dan had his gun out and pointed at the newly arrived silver Mercedes.

“Where is he?” Charlotte’s frantic voice roared at Dan never caring that his extended arms never wavered on their task.

“Stand back Ch-.. Counsellor.” He advised her calmly before his gun went flying by an inexplicable force. Maze had him pinned down before Chloe realised she had got out of the backseat of Charlotte’s car.

“He probably killed a man!” Dan wheezed under Maze’s torso-limbs locking on the ground.

“At least he didn’t have a choice!” Maze reprimanded and strengthened her hold.

“Mazikeen.” The foreboding warning came out of Lucifer’s rare moment of clarity over the situation.

“The police is on their way. We deal with this the _human_ way.” He settled and took out his hands for her to handcuff.

Chloe astounded took the handcuffs from her glove compartment and reluctantly tightened them around his wrists. There was no hint of betrayal or remorse on his face just the same sorrow he had shown her that morning.

“You will not talk to anyone Lucifer. Are we clear?” Charlotte took his face in her hands and forced him to meet her eyes.

“Yes.” He complied but his eyes drifted to the open pit.

“Someone severed his wings.” His words were audible only for Charlotte but Chloe had heard them loud and clear.

Charlotte’s hands fell on his shoulders where they dug his flesh. Fingers shuddered in agitation before she made a step towards the pit, only to be stopped by Lucifer.

“Don’t.” He simply advised and she nodded sharply.

“Chloe will take him down to the station and I’ll wait for the backup Counsellor. Does that satisfy you?” He asked in hesitation.

“Amenadiel will stay with you. Maze will drive the rest of us at the station. _That's_ the arrangement Detective. Is it acceptable?” She asked dripping venom at every word.

“With _my_ car. Chloe’s is part of the investigation.” Uncomfortably Dan rubbed his neck when his hair spiked at the tone she had addressed him.

“As you wish Douche!” She spat and dragged Lucifer to the car at the end of the road.

“Ms Decker!” Charlotte yelled at her when Lucifer stumbled too much on the soft ground for her liking.

  

* * *

 

The perpetual shivering had not ceased since she had taken him out of Uriel’s grave. With his shoulders curled to his chest, he sat as closely to the car’s door and effectively as far from her as possible. One of the worst can of worms he had in his possession, had just burs open in her very presence and she was not reacting as he had expected she would.

Far away from the lights of the city, he could see some of his bright creations sparkling above him unaware of the turmoil their creator was on. Father, he had loved the light, yet as irony would have it darkness was needed to appreciate their very existence.

Cold fingertips touched his neck before settling on his shoulder and pulling him gently to lay on his back. He could and should resist and yet her hands were like a stream’s traction, drowning him under no questions asked on her lap. Like a force of nature that could not be opposed.

Despite his cramped position, he relaxed under her touch. She brushed the smudges off his hair, very much like he had done with Uriel, but this time his heart was fluttering at every stroke under her cool hands.

“We were both wrong. Warm fuzzy hugs sometimes may help.” She whispered chuckling. Tightening her hold on his upper body she brought him closer to her thin white top.

“Lucifer…” Her eyes had adjusted in the dark as were his, making her task on his hair easier. The effulgence of the moon was gracing them with enough light to search each other eyes for questions that were begged to not be answered.

“Were you the one to…-“ Her hushed voice vibrated with an emotion Lucifer had never heard before.

“Yes.” He admitted bracing for her to pull back. He had promised her no half truths, ever again. Promises were a cruel thing on their own standing as he had known since his Fall.

The withdrawal he so fretted, never came. The arms around him tightened impossibly more as if trying to hide him from the world. Take him far away and keep him safe, deep within her midsection, on which his head was now snugly bedded.

“Did you have a choice?” She questioned him again, louder this time knowing that she had trapped his ears within her enfold arms.

“I don’t know.” He honestly acknowledged for the first time that there was a choice, but in that moment he had not seen any. In his world, there never was another choice really.

“Not a word Lucifer!” Charlotte thundered from the front seat making both of them jump at the unexpected chiding.

“Shhh… She is right. Not a word.” She soothed him tracing her fingers over his face for him to relax. He knew the tedious process of been taken into custody, as well as she did, thus he appreciated her effort to reduce his agitation.

“I had a choice. I choose _you_.” He confessed under her bewildered eyes.

One day she might know what he had meant by that but for tonight, tomorrow was far away.  His Detective so far had stayed by his side, despite being a monster by human standards. Perhaps one day she would also stay, for a devil who was willing but unable to change.

“Not another word Lucifer. Not another word.” She begged him, fully aware that she would be called to explain Lucifer’s involvement with the dead body, under oath soon.

“I always loved the stars. Since I was a little girl.” Diversion was never her strongest point however it was exactly what they both needed. A moment in time, even if it was a fleeting one.

“My mum used to tell me I would be one when I grew up. Dad thought that being an astronomer was more likely to be in the cards for me.” She laughed making the two women at the front frowning in confusion, on what was occurring behind the wired backseat.

“That was my deepest desire. Ever. A connection to the stars and so one day I wore a star. I became an officer and life seemed to fall into place…” She thought wistfully at the time she thought everything made sense, even when her marriage was drawn down the gutter or after the Palmetto case, the worst moment in her career.

“That’s until you came along…” She told him with no hint of surprise or regret in her voice.

Chloe Decker had thought of this before. She had weighed the pros and the cons and all she could see now was that safe was not what she had always assumed to be.

“I apologise.” The lump in his throat was choking him, refusing to be swallowed at his current laying position.

“No. You showed me that I just had the wrong pieces Lucifer.” She explained him caressing the flap of his right ear.

“You don’t understand.” He started and made an attempt to rise only for her hand to push him down gently back on her legs.

“I don’t. But still, I’m asking you to hold on through this. Okay?” He wished he could see her eyes more clearly under the moonlight and before they made it to the city. His wish dissolved under her soothing fingers. Therefore he let himself to be brought to the verge of sleep as her touches allayed his worries to calmness.

“As you wish.” He mumbled, nestling against her body for what remaining time they had together.

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

 

* * *

 

Songs used for this Entry: 

[Talk to Me - Lauren Aquilina](https://youtu.be/zAtvCIx_l9o)

Chloe, Lucifer and Linda on session. 

[The Great Unknown - Rob Thomas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDJb5KpQuQ)

When I'm listening to this song the ninth chapter makes total sense to me. The beginning, the middle and of course the end. 

[A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard - Jeremy Messersmith](https://youtu.be/K2XdgMFffZU)

I knew this song would be perfect for the scene where Chloe and Dan find Lucifer.  

"Lucy takes the long way home  
Meets me in a field of stone  
(S)he says I don't know how I'm supposed to feel  
My body's cold but guts a twist in steel

 

And I feel like I'm some kind of Frankenstein   
Waiting for a shock to bring me back to life"

[ Whirlwind Of Rubbish - Evangelist ](https://youtu.be/_cq46LxsNY8)

I believe it's obvious why I wanted this song in this particular chapter. For the ones who don't know it's the ending song of 2x05. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) In 2x11 Chloe could find Lucifer through his phone at the beach, resulting to what we all know as the kissing scene. 
> 
> 2) This was one of the most difficult chapters to write because I wanted to convey some emotions which were very difficult to grasp sometimes in writing. 
> 
> Linda's session was not supposed to be that long but after the 1K I was like... Okay, this has something more to say so even if this turns out to be 6K I'll write it and decide later if I'll split the chapter or not. (Eventually, I decided to move the last scene, a cliffhanger, in chapter 10.)


	10. Sweet Bar Sinister of Mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Sweet Bar Sinister of Mine:
> 
> Lucifer finds some much needed comfort in reverting to his old ways whilst detained for Uriel's murder. At the same time, Chloe's world comes crashing down after finding out who truly fathered her child. Certain questions are answered but several more are posed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning this chapter mentions: Rape, ruffies, drug use and perhaps some disturbing Devilness. 
> 
> To be honest I really like this chapter. I really had the time to process the story as I wanted.

* * *

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

 

* * *

 

**Sweet Bar Sinister of Mine**

 

 

**29th of December, 2016**

 

The skin under his warm fingers was slickly unpleasant. He could see the tight skin under his hand constricting in an attempt to down the excessive saliva through a now dry throat.

His head cocked in fascination on the ever present fragility of this species. Inhaling the vile stench of the man’s transgressions made his eyes pleasantly burn, reverting him in a nature he knew way too well. Securing his hand on the hollow area under the man’s jaw he exposed the neck's glistering flesh.

The trembling had set from the man's long limbs to the now palpitating blue artery. Lucifer watched the thunderous heartbeat under his thumb while firmly holding the twitching body in place on the wall. His tongue swept through the velvet skin inside his oral cavity tasting the last bitter remains of cocaine and coffee.

“Tell me… _Keith_ …” He whispered in the man’s right ear before nibbling it harder than what most would have considered playful.

“You wanted a client for your inferior quality drugs or an unconscious shag partner?” His teasing voice held true mercilessness while his hold tightened under the thick but slightly bone, rattling in protest, neck.

Swiping his tongue out he licked the warm and sweat coated salty flesh of the man’s chin, making him whimper in a way that was far from expressing any kind of pleasure.

“Leaking Keith?” He questioned him when he took one more deep inhale of the pathetic human's impossibly acrid stink under his fist. 

A whimper miraculously escaped Keith's constricting throat and Lucifer’s eyes greedily filled with a sight he had thought he had left behind years ago. Punishment still filled him. Still satisfied him beyond measure when enforcing punishment was only normality he had ever known. In a present where he didn’t know where his next step would take him, he found comfort in the only familiar routine he knew since he had Fallen. Punish, invoke terror and despair. Not always in that order.

Taking a step back he left the body fall heaving on the cell’s wall. That was what remained of humans when sins had taken over. A sack of flesh and bones soiled by their own leaking waste.

“There are many ways to shred someone to pieces, don’t you ever again prompt me to count them under demonstration for you again.” He sneered over the pitiful retreating from hearing his very voice, man.

Reaching for his spiked coffee cup, he took a hearty gulp gazing the retreating men around cell area. This had been the eleventh attempt to take him down and so far he had enjoyed them immensely. For the past two days, they had offered him a nice distraction from how bleak his future now seemed.

He knew the procedure and above all, he knew the Detective’s integrity. For a few hours, under an unadulterated starry sky, he had fooled himself into believing that this would not come between whatever emotional bond, they were slowly forming for the past weeks. How the Devil had fallen. Again.

The rush of the drugs took effect for a mere second which he knew they would run in his system and then fade like they had never been consumed. With a better quality, he would have had at least two or three seconds of blissfulness before reality came back to knee him in the goolies.

“We don’t have all day and I _did_ spare you the most frightening miscellaneous aspects the Devil can offer.” Closing his eyes at the bright sun rays he felt the same rush of lightness the cocaine had previously offered him. He just loved light. Especially one of his own making. 

“You have half an hour to gather your marbles and make yourself… presentable.” With the point of his white trainers, he kicked lightly Keith’s hands from his tear stained face.

“Ludicrous tattoos, dreadful placement.” He taunted the curling man who had once again lost his bladder’s control much to Lucifer’s disgust as he drank the final drops of his now lukewarm beverage.

 

* * *

 

The dayroom was quiet. Way too quiet. There was no low muttering of schemes been planned. Absent were the cynical little laughs from their best groomed residents. Every face he met reverted their solemn eyes elsewhere not searching for company to boast or warn of their unofficial authority in this place. For the first time in five years, Travis could say that this was indeed a detention centre and not a playground for the inmates before their impending trials.

“Coffee?” He heard Mitch offer him in a relaxed voice, for the first time since his divorce was finalised three years prior.

“To be alert for what exactly?” He questioned humorously scratching his freshly shaved chin.

Mitch shrugged his shoulders clucking his tongue at the bitter taste of his drink.

“See that guy over there?” Mitch told him and pointed a head-shaved guy with numerous tattoos covering his neck and jaw.

“Keith is wanted in 17 states and we had the honour of busting him.”

There was no pride in his voice which Travis would have expected. The meek posture of the tattooed man who kept mostly to himself, since Travis' shift had begun an hour ago, didn’t carry the usual entitlement such prisoners usually did.

“He had a psychotic episode early this morning.” Mitch entrusted him with the information he had just gossiped about with Brian of the night shift.

“What is he doing here then?” Travis asked trying to catch a better look of the man who was supposed to be one of the most notorious criminals to have ever stepped in this facility, as well as a total basket case.

“He refused to be transferred claiming that he wanted to be _good_.” They had seen many cases taking the wrong turn over the years and inmates being transported to San Quentin at the north of the state.

“Murder then?” Travis guessed.

“Among other things but that’s what makes things interesting. See the guy next to him?” He pointed at the sober-faced man next to Keith.

“He is a Detective's consultant and he was present at Keith's arrest a week ago.” The man as if knowing they were talking for about him raised his eyes to meet Travis'. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the dark orbs which were looking back at him. Nothing until a pleasant yet chilling grin graced the man's angelic dark features. 

“My guess? Keith tried to rough up the guy but things went wrong.” Mitch shuddered and had nothing to do with the coffee's bitterness. Travis could see that he had seen that grin forming on the Consultant's lips and had the exact same effect on him too. 

“So what does that mean?” He questioned the little smile, which toyed him still on the man's face with a rather uncommon confidence considering where he was.

“It means, that the Consultant basically controls this centre now Travis.” Mitch was blunt in his observation but that only made the smile of the man widen.

 

* * *

 

The smirched ink on the edges of his delicate tampered fingers bothered him still. Rubbing them with what little alcohol this _fine_  establishment offered, it had not been enough to clear all evidence from the common detention procedures 48 hours ago. The faint blue stain on his skin had marked him deeper than his brother's blood had ever succeeded. 

Lucifer would never tell he was fearful of something so banal as the Metropolitan L.A. prison. It was the eerie familiarity which enveloped him since he had set his foot in this building. He had known how a prison should be run and controlled, he had done it for so long that now it was an extension of himself. Consequently, within an hour after his confinement in this place, he had made clear to the other occupants that he possessed all the appropriate skills to run this prison in his own way. The old Hellish way that is. 

“Morningstar, visitor!” The poor sod known as Mumbling Travis yelled from the main door, eyes darting fearfully around the quiet room.

With a slight inconspicuous nod, Lucifer passed his authority of the space to a shrivelling at the far end of the bench, Keith. 

“About time..” He said tight-lipped ignoring the guard's hesitation over handcuffing him. 

Old habits were resurfacing in this wretched place. His all-nighter at roaming outside the dark cells, evaluating and analysing the occupants had been a dull experience. They emanated the odour of the worst sins they were known to men. He sadistically hoped that once they passed another cell threshold, preferably one somewhere down below, they would realise how costly a soul cleansing was. 

It was this detachment from the human suffering and lack of regret that bothered him. That night on the Detective’s lap seemed to already be aeons away.

The empty room of visitations did not surprise him. Lucifer knew that only three people would have had an access granted outside the strict visitation hours. Sure enough, a woman was waiting for him at the other side of the glass.

Focusing on her light pink coloured nails, she never heard him coming. He took a seat but did not reach for the phone handle on his right. He was just curious on the nervousness that had her biting her bottom lip. The carelessness that had her jacket sporting a fresh perfume stain under her shirt's grey collar

“Mother?” He said softly knowing that he would never be heard through the thick glass.

Her gaze sharply left her hands and focused on his clear dark eyes. He knew he appeared well rested which seemed to please her by the small upward curving of her lips.

“Lucifer…” He read her lips welcoming him. It was like he was a boy caught with his hand's on his Father's _cookie jar_ again although he felt nothing of the sort. 

With a sigh, he took the phone and she mirrored him. Her faint breathing came through the speaker still, she preferred to simply keep studying him.

“It took you two days. Though to be fair, you waited for more than an eternity.” He observed simply and she chuckled at his relaxed stance she had so missed since the attack.

“We couldn’t stop it, Sammy…” She apologised touching the glass to where his cheek would have been a gesture of cupping him under her clammy palm. The little moisture made its appearance on the glass to where her palm rested. A clear evidence of her uneasiness. 

“I’m not that child anymore,  _Charlotte_.” He warned her with his demeanour changing into a darker and threatening tense posture.

“As you wish Lucifer…” She succumbed not wanting him getting on edge, now that he had got so much better in a span of a couple of days.

“You will go through a trial tomorrow at noon.” Charlotte cleared her throat and slipped a small piece of paper on the glass for his eyes only to skim over. Lucifer’s brows arched and his eyes narrowed.

“Do you realise what this means?” He inquired with a hard voice.

“Someone needed a pawn and they got it Lucifer.” Charlotte hoarsely said. She above anyone else knew what it took for this to happen. 

His grip on the handle was getting stronger until he felt the plastic surrender under his fingers pressure with a low cracking sound.

“He is the only one with the power to do such a thing and we both know it!” She pressed taking out of her purse and a sizable bundle wrapped in brown paper.

“A resting place is supposed to be sacred. Especially for a priest! How far will Father go?” He asked afraid of another incident involving his Detective. His wager had backfired spectacularly. Dear Dad was asking him to pay for Mum, for Chloe, for Uriel. If only he had not found him at his lowest point yet. 

“Further than anyone could ever think.” She admitted and stood up slowly. The officer behind the desk approached her and she gave him the wrapped package.

Lucifer watched her leaving before she turned to look at him with a mournful expression. That was his parents for him. They had the habit of switching on the fan, only after making sure they would be securely out of the room themselves.

 

* * *

 

The room was buzzing with the usual activity, a police station was expected to have, regardless of the New Year’s being just around the corner. Two desks though were uncommonly quiet. Where Decker was jumping like a queen bee lately from case to case with spectacular results each and every time, for the past two days she had found solace in the solitude her desk offered. The same was happening to the previously also energetic Dan Espinosa who for the same amount of days, he had spent all his work hours aimlessly staring at three particular evidence bags. 

Gossip rolled easily but the blue eyes scanned only the documents in front of them. This was worse than the Palmetto case but Chloe this time could not bring herself to care. First the husband and then the partner, the hushed sounds rang through the room near the coffee and snack station.

For Chloe, the man in San Gabriel’s pit had been murdered with a startling amount of passion. At least post mortem. Whatever the priest’s execution with a single bullet did not have, this case was overwhelming her with. With every new page of evidence, she found herself waiver in her resolution towards Lucifer. Still, she never completely surrendered her faith to every new piece of confirmation that he had indeed something to do with that man’s actual demise. All her hopes, for yet another common Luciferian disillusion from the man, had so far been proven false. 

“Detective.” The court voice of Charlotte Richards’ was the only thing in so many days to force her to resurface from her drawing thoughts.

“How is he?” There were no pleasantries. She knew that Charlotte would only seek her out for one person and one person only.

“Falling back to an old job description I’m afraid.” Opening her suit’s button Charlotte sat at the edge of Chloe’s desk and her eyes roamed the various scattered papers on the desk.

“Club Owner?” She guessed puzzled, while tactfully covering Samuel Gustafson’s file.

“Zookeeper.” She said distastefully.

“Is this Heaven and Hell disillusionment a family thing?” Chloe asked evaluating carefully the sudden morphing on Charlotte’s features.

“It keeps us going, Detective.” She enigmatically replied.

“So how is he?” Chloe asked again with more persistence this time around.

“The trial is up for tomorrow and he seems content with the whole situation which is simply not _him_.”

Charlotte had been expecting a call for Lucifer’s raging uproar after their meeting and yet nothing ever happened. At least nothing she knew about and that irked her. From an omniscient being to _this_ was not pleasant. Especially when her children were under the human reality’s bounds. One way or the other.

“I know what it appears to have done, but I never thought of him ever capable of reaching this far.” Her tone dropped to be audible only to Charlotte’s ears.

“Lucifer always had a temper when lines were crossed, Detective. Albeit even at his worsts fits, he never harmed anyone out of anger.”

Picking one of her son’s photos from the top of Chloe’s desk she smiled at one in particular. He was always smug when it came to achieving something. Perhaps it was because everything came harder for him to conquer since his very birth. His first breath, his first exhibition of his gift, his first words. Her boy knew what hard work was and for long he had demanded a validation for his efforts which his Father always gave, until one day he was too busy to notice. It just had gone downhill from there. 

“I believe that. I have seen him wanting to harm people out of grief, pain and betrayal all masked under the presence of demanding punishment-“ 

Lucifer’s control was always slipping when his emotions went highwire. Although if she had, to be honest, she had never seen him driven out of real hot brewing anger. Anger was always a deceitful veil which uncovered how emotionally vulnerable that man really was.

“You know I am fooling myself sometimes, into believing that he might have broken every reservation he ever had about killing, out of his desire to protect us. How admirable it is for a being such as Lucifer to probably resort to such an action out of... real affection.”

“You realise that tomorrow I’ll be sitting on a bench under oath?” Folding her arms across her chest she backed back to her seat and watched Charlotte through narrowing eyes.

“ _Might_ and _probably_ Detective.” Charlotte reminded her and took Samuel Gustafson’s file from the desk.

“I think we are over for today Mrs Richards.” Chloe told her and snatched the file back.

“Humans are capable of terrible things Detective. That boy in the file? He has been dead for a long time but the one locked up downtown, I’m planning on keeping him alive for a long, _long_ time.” She pressed hunching menacingly over Chloe.

With the light falling on her face, Chloe could see the sharp lines on her tight face constricting and the excessive make-up around the woman’s eyes failing to hide the dark circles. Chloe doubted that Charlotte had fared better than her since Lucifer’s arrest.

“Counsellor…” Dan cut their talk too late for Chloe’s liking.

“Detective…” She grinned at his unexpected arrival which had Chloe roll her eyes at the feign surprise on the woman’s face.

“As I was saying to Detective Decker, Mr Mornigstar's trial is tomorrow at noon.” Charlotte filled him in standing on her full height again but always keeping a hand on Chloe’s desk.

“So soon?” Dan asked mildly surprised. The L.A. Court capacity on taking new trials so soon after an arrest was not common. But when Lucifer was involved, all meanings seemed to change in his favour. If an early trial could be regarded as such. 

“Where there is will…” Charlotte supplied not caring to hide the fact that she had indeed pulled some very influential strings.

“And _means_ …” Dan grumbled.

“Your words Daniel, not mine.” She winked at him making him thickly swallow.

“May I interrupt?” A timid Ella spoke in obvious reservation just a few away from Chloe's desk gesturing the lab’s open door.

“Sure!” Chloe exclaimed and found a refuge in the forensic’s lab yet soon followed by a glaring Dan and Charlotte.

“Perhaps the Counsellor should step out?” Chloe pointed out with a pretend disappointment at the prospect of sending Charlotte on her way. 

“Yes, of course.” Charlotte gave them a terse smile stepping outside the lab.

“It’s about Lucifer’s case.” Ella caught her before distancing herself too far, thus making her halt. Chloe would probably remember the vengeful glee in the woman's eyes when they turned to meet her eyes for a long time after that day. 

“And I’m his defence attorney.”  Her lips turned to a smug smile and made herself comfortable at the nearest chair. 

“Unfortunately.” Chloe murmured looking over the latest lab reports fully aware that she had no real knowledge on decoding the meaning behind the different papers on Ella's workstation. 

“Yes.. Well, there is something strange with the samples I have.” Ella began taking the papers from Chloe's hands and pulling out two in particular.

“Strange?” Chloe’s interest sparked immedietly. At this point, any doubtful kind of evidence could work in court the next day. 

“I run an identification on the dead man's sample and I got back a match!  What is more interesting though is that I got several other matches as well." Her excitement was met with three pairs of blank stares.

Sighing she placed the two papers which identified the matches on the database side by side.

"You see it’s faster to check the database first when you have a sample of blood for example than beginning a 30-day analysis for each sample.” Where time was of the essence, taking the easy route had seemed as the only path to go for Ella. 

"So you made everything faster. Great! Now have you found anything groundbreaking?" Chloe asked hoarsely making Dan frown at how this case was affecting. Partner being involved or not. 

“Yes, so I got Lucifer’s and the man's samples and they were already in the system! Lucifer’s was in for over five years!” Ella exclaimed taking another paper from behind her and put it next to the other two. 

“Under what name?” Chloe asked breathlessly, almost expecting for a Larry or Connecticut to be heard. 

“Unidentified but it was connected to a kidnapping case and here it's where it gets… disturbing.” Ella's eyes darted to each person in the room not knowing how to proceed. 

“Disturbing?” Dan scoffed. Where Lucifer was involved, was it ever not disturbing?

"Let me guess. Lucifer and the man are biologically connected." Charlotte said with a bored tone not really cared to hear for more but not able to leave without causing a stir of suspicion. 

“Well... I ran the man's sample first and I got a database match which was closely matched to two more. The first one was Lucifers. But all three matched appear to have a unique genetic condition." Ella focused again on her report and her tongue was caught between her teeth in concentration. 

“That is the disturbing fact? Have you seen him?” Asked Dan who appeared to be getting restless. Ignoring him Ella continued counting all the reasons why this was such a peculiar case. 

“Lack of sufficient iron, the complexity of their genetic threads and several missing links. This was not supposed to be a viable organism! My guess? Something sinister has happened in their genetic history." Ella looked directly at Chloe's eyes. Searching, questioning but never receiving what she may have wanted. 

" It gets... _worse_. What _I_ thought it was disturbing was that the two long archived matches were Lucifer's unidentified match from 2011 and Beatrice’s Decker-Espinosa.” She said cautiously studying everyone's reactions. Only Charlotte appeared to be missing the point.  

“Ella, I think that’s enough.” Dan cut her off abruptly trying to gather all the papers around them and snatch the ones from Ella's hands.

“Ella continue. Now!” Chloe demanded shaking before grasping Dan's left arm that hovered over Ella's workstation with a handful of documents in his hands. 

“Both samples were taken in 2010 when a Beatrice _Decker-Espinosa_ was kidnapped. Now for some reason, the investigation was stopped and  swept under the carpet.” Ella's eyes rested on Chloe from whom she had expected the most reserved reaction. 

“Fuck…” Dan swore, rubbing his forehead and pacing widely up and down in the room. 

“Dan?” Chloe faintly questioned making him stop and palm his face in an attempt to close his eyes but in reality trying to avoid her terrified gaze. 

“Beatrice’s, _Trixie's_ sample matched as a close genetic relation to the undefined murder victim as did Lucifer’s.” Ella explained simply to the one person she had expected to react entirely different. 

“What does that _really_ mean Ella?” Chloe demanded again to understand what she already knew. There was no reason why familial ties could not exist somewhere in one of hers of Dan's bloodlines to Lucifer's but how exactly Lucifer had been in the system since 2010 and over her daughter's kidnapping? An incident she had tried very hard to forget. 

“It means that both Lucifer and Trixie are related to the victim.” Dan explained from the far end of the lab never turning to meet any of the woman's eyes in the room.

“How is that even possible? I’m certainly not related to Lucifer and Dan would have known if he was.”

Chloe was still working over estranged uncles and aunts. Over her mother's orphaned status as a child and her father's family which had appeared over fifteen years for the funeral. No one matched Lucifer's features in person or otherwise. 

“Chloe… Lucifer’s sample is a genetic contributor to Trixie’s one.” Ella explained calmly. She had run the correlation for an entire day before admitting herself that the instruments were fine. Her ability as a forensic technician was still impeccable and that no mistake of any kind had been made. 

“Excuse me?” She questioned everyone in the lab with her half expecting to have misunderstood Ella's words for another geeky reference or something.

_Oh dear God or something, anything!_

“Lucifer is her father… Fuck, fuck, FUCK!”  Dan whispered from the far corner before punching a dent on the lab's cupboard. Many of the officers outside had stopped and curiously watched the scene in the lab only for Ella to quickly close the drapes. 

“That is impossible Dan you know that we both know that!” They had that talk over and over again before their daughter had been born. They knew the day, the hour even the place her conception had taken place.  After several years it had even become an inner joke between them. 

“I support Detective Decker! Lucifer could not now or ever procreate even if his Father had wanted to!” Charlotte chimed, joining in defence over the absurdity of Ella's previous statement. 

“I’m telling you that it is impossible. Not only Lucifer is not capable of creating a progeny but he was also nowhere near the Detective at that time!” She insisted and Chloe for the first time was in full agreement with her. Lucifer Morningstar was nowhere near L.A. at the time and was certainly not in any of the official city records. 

 _Unofficially, though?_ A small voice demanded but Chloe brushed it off as quickly as it that thought came. 

“Lucifer Morningstar appears in the records just five years ago Dan. Trixie had so many tests as a toddler... _We_ would have known. I would have _known_!”

“I knew…” He quietly admitted, leaning over the many different documents that held a truth he was aware of for quite some time now. 

"You _knew_? For how long?" She mocked him humorously. How could he have known what it simply was not _true_?

"For a very long time Chloe." He admitted exhaling a painful breath he had held securely bottled for way too long. 

"And you never thought to share _this_?" She screeched reaching the edge of her sanity. There was no logic, no pattern, no memory which would add any kind of validity to such a notion. 

“I loved you and I still do. The same goes for Trixie since the moment I saw her. The moment I found out just solidified my decision.” He had indeed loved both and she could she how this was tearing him apart piece by piece. A lie, a truth, a number on a damn paper!

"When?" She asked trying to trace back this reality that came thrusting up to her and washing away all she had ever known her life to be. 

"Does it matter? Is this _really_ the question you want to ask?" He asked gently fully aware where he was taking her with that question. Where he was taking them both over nine years ago. 

“How? Oh God, _how_?” The very first question Lucifer had ever asked her was swirling in her mind taunting her. It still held no kind of rationality. 

“Remember the Peachtree St case?” Dan brought her back to a time she had thought mostly fondly for the upcoming result nine months later. 

“The stakeout which turned a bit hot and heavy, I remember that I always thought that was the time when we conceived Trixie.” She was no concerned over what they revealed. Ella and Charlotte were long forgotten. 

“Then you went missing three hours later.” He reminded her, taking her in his arms waiting for the same quivering that always took over her in remembrance of that event. 

“The five hours between 10:38 and 03:16? Nothing happened I told you!” She insisted as she had done for years. This conversation was always the same and it always ended with her persistence. He always had let it end like that. Never pushing never countering her words. 

“Nothing you remember." He said softly and felt her shoulders starting to shake more profoundly under his arms. 

“I had the rape kit done that night and it came clean.” She reprimanded quietly for only him to hear when she saw Charlotte approaching them. 

“Chloe we had sex that day, you know better than I do about the probability…” Her head shook violently and escaped his embrace. She rested her head on the glass door eyes closing, chest heaving. 

“I wouldn’t be able to resist so no strain marks could ever be found. If it was protected then I fell to the 1% of condom failure which even the lab would have a problem to detect…” She whispered clearly for everyone to hear. There was her logic. She had gained one only to lose another. 

She had a child with a man, who until five minutes ago she would have trusted with her very soul. Perhaps not her body but that decision had long been taken from her. Trixie was not Dan's. She was not Lucifer's either. He always fidgeted around her daughter.   
  
_But not as of late..._

"Chloe?" A voice called her in a distance but she had found herself drawing in deeper depths than the ones she was since Lucifer's arrest 

“I need some time... _Alone_.” She murmured to everyone and to none in particular. 

Yanking the lab's door open, she raced up the station's stairs and disappeared from the view, leaving three pairs of eyes in the lab beseeching for more answers. 

* * *

  _To be Continued..._

 __

* * *

 

Songs used for this entry:

[Shattered - Trading Yesterday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hqW4odgkyo)

[Wish Away - Rick Astley](https://youtu.be/avKaPtRakQ4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) A Bar Sinister is: 
> 
> a) A heraldic bend or baton sinister held to signify bastardy.  
> b) A hint or proof of illegitimate birth. That's for the ones who wondered about this chapter's title.
> 
> Although according to Britannica: "The term bar sinister is often incorrectly used in fiction as a symbol for illegitimacy. It has no such significance, illegitimacy being denoted heraldically in several other ways, and a bar, being horizontal, cannot be either dexter or sinister." 
> 
> Still, the term in this chapter's title is used as: "A hint or proof of illegitimate birth".
> 
> 2) Peachtree St is a street in L.A. It's on the northern section of the city and is surrounded by warehouses.
> 
> 3) San Quentin, CA prison is one of the highest numbered on Deathrow inmates prisons in the U.S.
> 
> 4) "The most evil of people have the most normal of names. Beware anyone named Keith." Lucifer 1x09.
> 
> 5) The time process for a DNA sample on whether it is in the database or not is actually real.
> 
> 6) In California, a trial can happen after 48 hours of a person's arrest. 
> 
> 7) I think I might have messed a bit my story's timeline. I'll have to go back and check. Just in case.


	11. Lucifer, Et Coeli Statione Novissimus Exit.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Lucifer, Et Coeli Statione Novissimus Exit:
> 
> Confined in a place where sin thrives, Lucifer finds himself reverting back to something more sinister. It's the 30th of December and in the morning of the trial, someone comes to visit him. Things get more interesting and when the trial finally begins with Linda being the first to take the stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: I find no real triggers in this chapter. Perhaps mentioning rape but that's it. If you think I'm wrong just let me know.
> 
> It took me two weeks. Honestly, at some point, I thought...What's the point really? Real Life had kicked me down and I couldn't fight back. Hopefully, we will get some good news in autumn. 
> 
> So here we are, chapter 11. Just a note, though, chapter 11 was originally almost 8-10K so I had to break it into 3 chapters. I added some more scenes and I think you will like where this story gets us. 
> 
> A comment or something is always appreciated. If you have enjoyed it of course, otherwise I cannot fault you from skipping.

* * *

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

  

**Lucifer, Et Coeli Statione Novissimus Exit.**

**(Lucifer, vanish [and he] last of all, leaves his station in the sky)**

  

**30th of December, 2016 8:48 AM**

Metropolitan Detention Center of Los Angeles

 

The smoke swirled in every short exhale from his tight-lipped mouth. White teeth were exposed when his thin lips curved in distaste at the first glimpse of him. If Dan had expected jail to bring Lucifer down in spirit or at least appearance, it had done the exact opposite. Lucifer's clean shaved jaw, gave him a boyish look without robbing anything from intimidation it could easily carry in situations like this one.

"Douche…" Lucifer greeted by the corner, in front of the now locked door behind him. Not bothering to remove the cigarette from his mouth he grinned joyfully to the man. Dan wondered if he was as safe as he thought to be with Lucifer's hands tightly cuffed behind his back.

The well lightened white room was small. It was usually used for private discussions between lawyers and inmates and it thus lacked what the rest of the building was swarmed with. Surveillance of any kind.

"Son of a B-" Dan hissed standing from the chair he had spent seating the last half an hour while playing out how this meeting would go.

"Careful there Douche… You fucked around with her once…" The man warned him taking in a bigger drag of smoke than he had perhaps intended. There was no cough accompanying the inhale but a deep rumble made his annoyance clear when coming out from his expanded lungs.

Dan's palms closed into tight fists trying not to have his anger lead him to a second mistake before the turn of the year. He had practically delivered a man to his death a few weeks prior for Chloe and this was going down the same path.

"What have you done to the officers in this place?" Dan wondered out loud.

The man's relaxed posture in worn casual wear, the lit cigarette on his lips and the sweet smell it emitted by each lazy exhale made Dan wonder how far Lucifer's charm could go even to a place like this.

"I just gave them a hand and some tip on how to handle things really. Poor bastards they needed all the help they could get."

Hugging back his head Lucifer readjusted the cigarette and flipped it inside his mouth. His eyes closed blissfully at the contact of the burning edge on his moist palate.

When delicate hands wrapped around his swallowing throat Lucifer was not surprised and carried on. What was the point to waste the aftertaste a perfectly good pot joint? He carefully chewed the remains of the bud around his mouth into a small ball never caring for the increasing pressure on his clean shaved neck.

The harsh pants of effort could be heard clearly now. Sweat beads of frustration and vigorous strain covered the Dan's fingers on Lucifer's neck. Dark brown eyes opened calmly to meet a pair of crazed baby blue ones. A choking laughter echoed through the small room. Lucifer's bobbing Adam's apple travelled easily under Dan's white now thumb knuckles.

"You have done this before… but you never sealed the deal… Dan… Who did you lead to his early demise?" The words were let out easily and full of revolting mirth.

"What?" The flush of exertion was replaced rapidly by a sickly complexion.

"Come on Dan! What is some honesty between sinners? " Lucifer whistled his appreciation.

Ariel's blade had chosen well at one point it seemed. There was something in there, sloppily hidden under a job and fake morality. Lucifer, most of everyone would know.

"He hurt her… I… I…" The murderous trance was leaving him as were his trembling fingers sliding down over Lucifer's miraculously unmarked skin.

"Got rid of the problem." Lucifer's smooth voice guided the man's rude awakening to a reality few dared to acknowledge. Stumbling backwards Dan caught himself on the unsteady table placed in the middle of the room.

"I… I didn't have a choice!" He whispered to Lucifer who was still at the same spot since he had been escorted to the room. Making sure that there were no guards lingering outside the door he took a seat on the chair behind a dazed Dan.

"We all do Daniel… We just pick the less painful one." He grimaced considering what that had cost him and swallowed one more bitter-sweet fill from his cigarette.

Satisfied with what he had sucked out, he spat the black remains in the small bin near him. The wet sound of the spit, making it into the plastic bin, had Dan turn to look Lucifer with a new resolve.

"Tell me… Are you always set on telling the truth?" He hesitantly asked him. Truth in law enforcement was as rare as a cloudy morning in California. It happened yet not often enough to be noticed or make a real difference.

"The only thing that has remained from my innocent phase and a matter of great pride for me." Lucifer grinned showing his slightly crooked but pearly white teeth.

"Did you murder that guy in the pit?" Dan asked him practically mouthing the words for the world to never acknowledge he had asked that question.

"Uriel." It was the calm answer he received.

"Excuse me?"

"Uriel. Have some respect for the ones who have departed." There was an ominous warning glowing in his eyes.

"Uriel… What is wrong with your family? Then again I don't want to know." He had read the file. He knew exactly what was wrong with that man's family. There was even a debate on whether you could call that a family.

"You and I both…" Was Lucifer's simple reply. He refused to hide what he was. There was guilt but no shame in his past actions. There was where their fundamental difference lay with Detective Douche.

Guilt dictated the aftermath of their actions, but shame? Lucifer thought he knew exactly who he was. He had not changed, he was still the Devil. According to humanity trickery and feud were his true nature for millennia now. There was shame once but not anymore. Not for a long time.

Douche, on the other hand, had surrendered a piece of himself which brought shame. That was the kind of alteration which made you a sinner. Sins never helped you gain anything worthwhile, they made you lose everything that mattered piece by piece. Daniel Espinosa had just lost his second piece with murder. The first with the Palmetto case.

"Look, I'm trying to keep my composure and you are not making this an easy task." A snort escaped Lucifer which by the fisting of Dan's hands he was indeed starting to lose his fragile composure.

"Well, this is not an easy topic for me either!" He interjected with a shrug and raised his feet to the table much to Dan's annoyance.

"So you are a murderer." There was no question this time. It was not needed to be. For a moment in time, Lucifer's eyes turned downcast before piercing Dan's with a cloudy gaze. As soon as the haze had set in Lucifer's eyes it disappeared with a fluttering of his eyelids.

"You and I both Douche. I can see that familiar slime you are trying to hide deep within you." Lucifer's mouth widened revealing more teeth than Dan was comfortable being exposed, at what was supposed to be a crazed smile.

"I never killed anyone," Dan whispered with self-conviction.

Lucifer's lips puckered and let out a wet plop. That was what Judas had said. What good had done to him when the verdict remained the same? Punished in Hell for eternity.

"No. At least not directly…" Lucifer supplied and somewhere in the now lost in thought Douche in front of him, Lucifer thought he saw some hope for the man after all. He was feeling… merciful in a way.

"At least I never took a woman against her will!" Dan's aggression was back when he loomed over Lucifer. He could remember doing the exact same thing, in the bowel's of hell while trying to figure out the perfect door for his newly arrivals.

"My appalling Detective I think you confuse me with the wrong kind of beast." The corners of his eyes circled at the very thought. Women always followed, until the Detective he had never pursued any female of this species actively.

"I have evidence that you raped a woman nine years ago-" Dan thrusted the forgotten brown envelop his way only to take it back as quickly. The contradictions of that man were almost amusing. Almost.

"Impossible! I was not even in this part of Creation." The mere thought was laughable. He had heard about the police's incompetence but this was a whole new level of imbecility!

"Listen to me! I know how you work and how you charm yourself out. I'm sure that this is going to happen in a couple of hours but I want an honest answer!" First, he was demanding and then he problem with Dan was that he didn't know how to play with Lucifer.

Dan knew he probably would never win. Not today and not under the circumstances that had brought him here in the first place. The cards had been dealt and Lucifer was apparently playing dices!

"Or this is going to the judge's hands today!" He added, opening the envelope taking out all the documents he needed. When nothing else worked, blackmail might. At least Lucifer would mildly approve the method enough to give him the answer he wanted.

"Well, I hope it worths his while…" He sniffed entangling his fingers on his stomach. The game was lost until the bold letters caught Lucifer's eyes.

"What is this?" He demanded, scanning the documents in front of him.

"Dear Ella found that you and Uriel have a close relative in the forensic database." Dan said through gritted teeth.

"Any wild guess?" He hissed but Lucifer face remained impassive at this new information.

"I have brothers and sisters out there Douche… and not as virtuous as most believe them to be. They can create quite a havoc when they feel too small to fill Dad's shoes." He said grimacing at the memories how certain sibling's of his had met Auriel's blade long before Uriel. What a useless war that had been.

"Fuck this!" Dan bellowed launching at Lucifer's throat with renewed vigour.

"Oh hello there Daniel. Murder and rage? Aren't you a delicious little sinner?" The crackling in protest bones made Dan smile before his fingers were forcefully taken away.

Lucifer calmly twisted their bodies and had Dan seated on the chair he was previously occupying. Checking the Douche's fingers the veins had popped and all blood had been drained from his hands again. Shaking his head he removed the second handcuff from his left hand and closed them around Dan's wrists.

"You fathered a child you dick!" He shouted trying to free himself from the confines which were suddenly restricting him on the chair.

The heaving man had Lucifer to admit he made quite a sight. Perhaps in a different universe where he wouldn't be so obnoxious. Brushing his hand through the thick shoddy blond hair he gave them a little playful tag. Locking Dan's eyes with his, Lucifer tried to study this peculiar human. What had made him so eligible for the Detective? What had made him a Douche? It was then when he realised that no matter of how many universes could have come to existence, something else gravitated him. Far from an admittedly admirable physic. The Detective. Chloe.

"Let's take this from the beginning. Dear Dad made sure that even if we could get the equipment up for the task we would never seed anything." How more clear could he explain Father's obsession over controlling every aspect of his children's lives?

Potency of that kind was something that had never bothered him lacking. It was a relief really. Imbriel had been quite an example where bad parenthood led you. They had their own almighty Dad to thank for that. So what was the point of ever having to repeat the same old mistakes? Father had made sure that His children would have never come to know the pleasures of the flesh. At least until Lucifer got to handle a really nice pair himself. Which raised the question… How had Amenadiel compromised his demon?

"Well then allow me to finish his job because you managed to do exactly that." Dan seethed in frustration at his inability to get free. What was more enraging though was Lucifer's denial. Scooting closer with the chair screeching at every attempt to get himself free and launch at Lucifer eventually Dan lost his balance and landed on the floor.

"Why don't you ever listen? I cannot!" Lucifer insisted while picking the man upwards from the position he had managed to fall.

"I have a pile of results in the forensic lab which state that you did and believe me I don't care about that. What I do care about is how and why!" The words muffled mid-sentence when an exasperated Lucifer let him fall again. Dan's body jerked again trying to loosen the cuffs with no real success.

"Dan… you will break your fingers." Lucifer sighed and decided to let him cool down where he was. There was no point of trying to reason with him. He just had to tire himself out first.

"Damn you!" The man gasped at the sharp edges of the cuffs closing further into his bruised flesh.

"Already there with no intention or possible way of returning, but thank you." He graciously thanked Dan before deciding that a change in the room was now in order.

Moving the table to the back wall he took the second chair and sat down at a safe distance from the man who once was trying to imitate. Now that day had been certainly a divine farce on his expense.

"How is this a joke to you?" Dan whispered with an edge Lucifer had never heard before.

This part was what he had never understood until Father Frank. The need to desperately understand why things happen. Why that perfect plan of His, seem to fail so spectacularly.

"Because even if I wanted to I don't have the gift of creation Daniel. I cannot make things out of nothing. That was Mickey's job!"

He explained to him of matters long forgotten but which still cut deep. The Silver City had never been home because there was no one to return to. Home had been the Void for some time and then the Creation happened.

"Lucifer cut the crap." With some effort, Dan turned to the side with the chair cutting uncomfortable his right forearm.

"I thought you wanted to continue breathing but if you insist, I would gladly comply somehow…" Lucifer snickered at the Detective's new position on the floor.

"What does Peacherstreet tell you?" Dan wheezed fidgeting in an attempt to lessen the pain from his whole weight crushing on his arm.

"Warehouses… Illegal dealings… All in a nice mafia wrapped paper for you." He had some Devil IOUs pending there but no one had asked him about his dealings with the Peacherstreet's most wanted.

"Trixie was conceived in Peacherstreet!"

The anguish on the man's face had been shifted to something raw and deep. Something that had nothing to do with the now numbing limb under the chair. An amputation would have hurt less than this. Lucifer would have known as it was a common practice down under.

"Too much information!" Lucifer winced and for once he wished for a window.

He wished for the sun to remind him that in millennia from now, only he and the sun would still be around. Perhaps then, the humans called Detective and spawn would be far from his mind and fortunately from his heart as well.

"By you." Dan searched the dark man's frozen posture. The agitation he had seen before creeping his form was now shaking him in laughter. A bitter, hollow laughter.

"Now that is impossible…" Lucifer's warm forehead sought the comfort from the cool wall beside him. It was the rage and the disappointment. He was slowly reverting to what he was. The Devil. He was running hot and angry. Just how long it would be before he snapped?

"I have known for a very long time that, that little girl is not mine and I have come to terms with that. But Chloe just found out that the one person as close genetically to our daughter as her is you!"

His torso was shaking from the exertion of keeping his head up, trying to see the man's reaction. Dan had expected Lucifer to gloat, he had expected that the big revelation that the man who was indeed a loose cannon, was as vile as he had suspected him to be. Nothing came out of him but a sense of absolute disgust at the allegation of fathering a child.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? I can fuck and sodomise everything human on this planet and the result would be the same. I was not born to create little monsters but to contain and punish them!" Lucifer spat on Dan's face finally losing his well-controlled restraint.

Grasping the man's leather jacket Lucifer pushed the chair Dan was handcuffed on upwards. Stepping his right foot on the chair, between Dan's groin, he kicked the chair to the back wall never caring for the hard collision between Douche's head and the cuffed hands had with the wall behind them.

Taking once more a fistful of Dan's leather jacket he studied the man who had not only wooed and fucked his Detective but was also trying to burden him with an ankle-biter. A very welcome ankle-biter, but this went against all principles he had about a child's abandonment.

"What is this? Dan, where did you find this?" He demanded to know when he got a peek for the first time of what was tucked in the inner pocket of Dan's leather jacket.

"I have it for five years now. I keep it locked up and I have-" There was fear for the first time this morning in Douche's eyes. The evidence bag was now in Lucifer's hands who shook in anger.

"Not been able to part with it. Yes, I know the feeling." Lucifer sneered and took out of the bag the three feathers. One of them cotton white, illuminating what little light was left of it and covered with dried blood.

"They are the same." The chair shredded at Dan's attempt to get closer to the feathers once more.

"No, they are not. That one is mine." Flecks of red brimmed in his eyes discouraging the man from approaching any closer. Between his fingers was Dan's most prized positions for the past five yeas, his periapt. A bloody feather.

"Lucifer?" He begged not for mercy or bewilderment over the man's slowly changing appearance but at desperation to not be parted from that little but not insignificant object.

"I was getting rusty… I could smell it on you as I can do it with any other filth in this place. You reek of blood. There is blood on your hands Douche… And even a sinner's spilt blood has to be punished." Lucifer drawled tucking to Dan's dismay the bag with the feathers between his flesh and the casual trousers', elastic inner belt

Dan's lips twitched before morphing to an open gap. He thought he had come to terms with his actions and whatever God had planned for him. The scream was never heard leaving his now airless lungs. The sun's rays never warmed his falling body.

* * *

 

 

**30th of December, 2016 12:16 AM**

Los Angeles Court House, Downtown L.A.

 

Everything he wore felt scratchy and too tight on his body. The cotton shirt was having him shudder every time it stretched over his scars. The absence of cufflinks added unnecessary pressure on his wrists and these pants were way too comfortable.

"Lucifer stop fidgeting and stand straight!" Charlotte hissed when he flexed his shoulders for the millionth time since he had been forced in these clothes.

"Off the rack Mother? Why not throw me in jail now and get this over with?" He mumbled trying to limit his movements only on his legs and feet. These blasted shoes were at least half a size too small for him!

"It was the best I could do before the New Years. Now stop scratching your ankle with your shoe and pay attention!" Charlotte warned him checking the documents of the case in front of her.

"Any luck?" He questioned not really caring about the result. Worst case scenario he would be dead and back to Hell for the Saint Valentine's arrivals. Jealousy just drove humans mad, this was something Lucifer nowadays, understood a bit too well.

Wincing at how things had gone out of control he scanned the room. There was practically no one there and the only person he cared for was avoiding his gaze. Seated at the far back of the room, she had her eyes glued on the empty stand.

"The state of California calls to the stand Dr Linda Martin." The bored overweight officer called and Linda climbed the wooden stairs with ease.

At the request of swearing she lowered her glasses and weighting her decision, she gave a positive answer. Having a solid knowledge of just how real Father was, it made certain decisions rather difficult.

"Dr Marin as you are aware your client is charged with murder." The middle-aged prosecutor started scratching his jutting chin.

"With all due resect, he is still a suspect." Charlotte contradicted and the judge nodded in agreement.

"And yet the prosecution and the judge finds the evidence enough for this trial to take place." The man dismissed her, glaring at the judge for agreeing a bit too early with Charlotte. A malicious smile appeared on the prosecutors face making his large balding spot the second most disturbing feature on his appearance for Lucifer.

"I see…" Charlotte murmured playing with her pen a bit too aggressively.

"How long have you been his therapist, Doctor?" The prosecutor inquired after checking his notes.

"For about a year now." Linda replied in a bored voice. As long as she didn't tip him out of anything interesting about Lucifer Morningstar her testimony could weight the scale towards their favour.

"Any kind of progress according to your professional opinion." He continued but expecting her monolectic reply by the growing glint in his eyes

"Plenty."

Lucifer scratched slowly his socks down earning him a kick from Charlotte and a sharp yelp was heard in the courtroom. Both Mother and Linda rolled their eyes and he sulked on his seat without trying to relieve the itch from his shirt or socks any further.

"Care to share with the courtroom Doctor?" The prosecutor grunted after Lucifer's interruption.

"Under the California's state law my client has full confidentiality of our sessions." She declared facing the judge who requested that to be highlighted in the records for future reference.

"Even for confessing a murder?" He asked in a suspiciously light tone.

"You went to law school sir, therefore you tell me. According to my years in medical school, I can only say that you get more out of this than $40 per hour. It goes beyond the money does it?"

She pressed lowering her glasses and studying the now slightly flustered man. He coughed cleaning his throat before proceeding with a higher voice than the one he had begun his questioning.

"You would know Doctor… Have you ever had relations with Mr Mornigstar?"

Lucifer eyes darted back to the Detective which was still refusing to acknowledge him at Linda's answer she simply shook her head in what he could have sworn was amusement.

"Yes…" Was the Doctor's uncomfortable reply but it appeared as if a pair of eyes were more interested in the Detective's reaction than of anyone else's.

"Were you in a relationship or was it something more loose?" He continued and Lucifer had an urge to take off his shoes and socks and shove the later down that man's throat.

"Objection your honour! He is guiding the witness and is offending both my client and the Doctor!" Charlotte yelled with several papers now clenched in her hands.

"Prosecutor Tilly, has this line of questioning have anything to do with the case?" The judge questioned rubbing her temples.

"If I may proceed to the next question, your honour?" The man said ignoring the judge and rearranging his notes on hand.

"Proceed with caution."

"Doctor Martin were you or were you not requesting from Mr Mornigstar to pay you in kind? Meaning with sex for your services? I remind you that solicitation is illegal in the state of California."

Lucifer's eyes had not left the Detectives. After what it felt like an eternity her widened eyes spotted his and she mouthed her question.

'Really?'

'Heroin' He mouthed back and raised his hands in surrender. She was taking this much better than he ever thought she would.

"There was an arrangement between Mr Morningstar and I before he officially became my client. At the beginning, he was an acquaintance asking advice with which we had a short and meaningless affair."

Linda stressed the words that mattered the most, yet not before she could see how the word meaningless stroke a very sensitive cord in Lucifer by the slumping of his shoulders

"Meaningless enough for you to be a reliable witness Doctor?" Prosecutor Tilly approached the bench in a try to give some more weighting in his speech.

"Mr Tilly, my patient is an insecure man with a very troubling past. He has never shown any hint of being dangerous to any human being on this planet and I can assure you that he has never physically harmed one. Nor will he ever do that." Her acid tone had the man flinching back slightly.

"Is that your professional opinion Doctor?" He questioned when he was safely back from the prosecutor side's desk.

"Do you want my official diagnosis, Mr Tilly?" Linda asked exasperatedly.

"Prosecutor and that would be incredibly helpful." If the prosecutor was expecting an incriminating diagnosis he was sorely disappointed by the Doctor's assessment.

"Lucifer Morningstar has narcissistic tendencies rooted in a complex paternal relationship and a disrupted adolescence. That disrupted adolescence has led to a rebellious endeavour of exploring his sexuality and as of late his own humanity." She explained calmly but once again she cared little for the prosecutor. Her sole focus was based on something far behind Lucifer.

How would the Detective receive his diagnosis? Most of it was already known, he had never hidden anything from her but this sounded like he was more trouble than he was worth. Who? The Devil.

"I don't hear what that has to do with the case Doctor…" The prosecutor wanted the dirt, at least the one he could use to support the case of a deranged murderer.

"Mr. Morningstar has set boundaries to himself preventing him from actually hurting anyone. He cannot lie or physically hurt a human to the point of committing murder. He thrives on the idea of delivering punishment." Linda clarified sending a soothing smile at Lucifer. He could get through this. They both knew that her testimony would have been the least painful part of the day.

"What if the unidentified body deserved punishment under Mr Morningstar's distorted image of right and wrong?" Tilly pressed again aiming once more to present Lucifer as an individual dictated by mental illness. Stereotyping could get you a long way in a courtroom but once again it was not meant to be.

"That is the beauty of my patient's mind prosecutor. If he believed that murder was the answer for cleansing this world, he would also have had suicide tendencies. He has a distorted image only for himself but not for the people who are found guilty of a crime. That's what makes him such a great consultant for the L.A.P.D."

Someone had taken less credit than she deserved Lucifer realised. When the Detective had told him she didn't believe him to be the evil he claimed to be he had not been convinced. Now he had an official credential by his dear Linda. That woman deserved a very special deal if she ever requested one perhaps even a freebie. Definitely, a freebie.

"Your witness Mrs Richards." The prosecutor said through clenched teeth, releasing Linda from his line of questioning.

"I believe Doctor Martin has covered everything that shows that Mr Morningstar, under an official psychiatric evaluation, is unable to commit a murder of a human being. Therefore, we free the witness from the stand and call Ms Mazakeen Smith." Charlotte said leaning back at her chair oozing ease and control.

"Mother, are you going to ever ask any questions yourself?" Lucifer asked listing mentally the possible consequences of having Linda off the stand so quickly.

"Let Mummy, handle this son" She patted his leg making him fidget again but stopped midway from scratching his calf at Charlotte's narrowing eyes.

"Because we all saw how spectacularly that worked the last time… Both of us ended up Hell for all eternity." He replied with a condescending smile.

"Miscalculation." She dismissed his worries, having him lick his lips in scepticism over his Mother's ability to handle his trial.

"Careful Mother… Humans tend to be a lot like Father when judgment is passed. Just so you know."

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs used for this entry:

[Everybody Lies - Jason Walker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-sJ2zBefw)

[The New Promo ](https://twitter.com/LuciferonFOX/status/848650127317192704)for May 1 by the Lucifer Writer's Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Lucifer, et coeli statione novissimus exit.
> 
> a) The meaning given in English is also a clue. 
> 
> b) The beginning and the end of a "day". Again a clue. 
> 
> c) For this chapter the meaning is simple. Lucifer it's time to get down again... The morning has come...
> 
> And for the ones who wonder about Ovid's poem it's about the arrival of the morning: 
> 
> Ecce vigil rutilo patefecit ab ortu  
> Purpureas Aurora fores, et plena rosarum Atria.  
> Diffugiuut stellae, quarum agmina cogit  
> Lucifer, et coeli statione novissimus exit.
> 
> Aurora, awake in the glowing east,  
> opens wide her bright doors, and her rose-filled courts.  
> The stars, whose ranks are shepherded by  
> Lucifer, vanish, and he, last of all, leaves his station in the sky 
> 
> Lovely is it not?
> 
> 2) In this chapter we see Lucifer reverting back to what I call the comic's cynical *cough*. You get the rest. In the comics even when he loves or cares (if possible) for someone he is not rushing anything. When he thought that *his* Maze was dead when they met again all he said was that he was glad that the news of her death was an exaggeration. Yeah... Anyway, I believe that we must not forget from where Lucifer is coming from. He is not a kicked little puppy. So even for a while, he must be back. He must be set to a different kind of edge. Far from the catatonic one.


	12. An Aginner’s Nut-Cutting Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of An Aginner’s Nut-Cutting Time:
> 
> In the aftermath of Trixie's paternity revelation, Chloe is confronting her memories, thoughts and feelings. Penelope Decker decides to add her two cents which turn the tables for Chloe, or is it a phone call that does that? Finally, it's Maze's turn to take the stand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning Tags: Miscarriage, abortion and rape. 
> 
> I've missed two weeks worth of updates so you get two chapters in three days. 
> 
> This one could have been better but I'm satisfied with how it turned out. I cannot wait for the next chapter, though. I just love how the 13th chapter ends. I'm sure you will as well.
> 
> The End Notes contain spoilers from WonderCon. Just a warning if you don't want to know...

* * *

 Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**An Aginner’s Nut-Cutting Time**

 

 

 **30th of December, 2016 7:59 AM**  
Los Angeles

 

The tip of her index’s finger stroked the fading pink scar. It felt numb and smooth under the warm water. Circling it Chloe fell into the trance of this year’s memories. The gunshot wound on her left shoulder from their first case, the concealed from Lucifer but long healed burn, on her right arm, by the fire of Javier's restaurant. These were the memories which she would ever carry with her from him. Memories of selflessness.

Reaching for her body wash she touched instead the green olive oil bar of soap. It was still there. For the weeks he had stayed at her apartment this was one of the few things she had allowed him to bring. A toothbrush, a change of clothes and his bar of soap. Taking the handle of the shower she aimed the steaming water on the bar which slowly melted under the water's force and the temperature. The cabin soon was filled with that morning smell of him before he was dragged bleary eyes and all in the shower with every new case they had downtown for the past few weeks.

Instead of rubbing the bar on her sponge Chloe dragged it on her skin shivering at the contact of the slippery yet still rough block of soap. The memories assaulted her from that very first morning she had met him sitting on his piano's bench. The smile, the tease, the _offers_ , his honesty.

_“I have never lied and I’ll never lie to you.”_

Dropping the soap lower, she traced the last remaining memories her body was still holding from Trixie’s growth in her. Invisible to the eye they could up to this day be felt where the smooth skin, had somewhat wrinkled. Clenching the soap tightly it escaped from her grasp and she let it fall. Hopefully, it would dissolve to a good degree before she finished her shower.

With shaken hands, she purred a good amount of her body wash on her sponge and rubbed harshly all the areas she had touched previously. She felt secure, she felt clean and she was still waiting for the impact of the news to bring her down. The flowery fragrance of Jasmin did little to cover the still lingering strong aroma of the green soap. The mist in the cabin had blended into something uniquely theirs and she could not handle it. It was not her body that had been ripped away. It was him and she hated him for that.

Closing the shower she allowed her body to cool down while inhaling his presence for the last time. It was that innocence he had. The jester with the deep feelings and the clueless eyes when social conformity was required. She was letting him go and it hurt more than what he had done. For the first time in her life, she wanted to abhor logic and believe that he was indeed the Devil and a good man.

The first chills run through her body demanding for the droplets, running down her torso to be dried. Taking her towel she firmly tightened it around her body and not caring about her wet hair she made it under her bedcovers.

At the door knock, she flinched in the prospect of having to see her daughter. What a mother should have done in the first hour she would have to do it eight years later. Search her baby’s features for her father’s ones.

“Chloe?” She heard her mother call opening the door.

“Baby what is wrong? You come home, you didn’t even tuck Trixie in, what happened yesterday?” Chloe felt the mattress shift very much like it had a few day ago when Lucifer had woken up with her and Trixie on her bed.

“Dan is not Trixie's father.”

Was her emotionless reply and she buried her face deeper into her pillow. Even that was holding some of his smell. Since when he had wrapped all her life with his existence? Since when she had allowed him to do that?

“I could have told you since the moment I first laid eyes on her.” Penny sighed and rubbed her naked shoulder accidentally brushing over the exit would on her left side making Chloe inhale sharply. After almost a year that wound had healed but it still tingled painfully to the touch.

Penny sighed and rubbed her naked shoulder accidentally brushing over the exit would on her left side making Chloe inhale sharply. After almost a year that part of the wound had healed but it still tingled painfully to the touch.

“You knew?” She asked wondering how she had missed it. How logic had betrayed her. Chloe had believed Dan when he had claimed Trixie just taking her features by his father’s side. It had made sense and now nothing ever would again.

“I told the nurse she had the wrong room until I saw her eyes. They were dark but they were yours. Bright and curious, you were in there even if their shape was completely different.” Her mother admitted and moved to draw soothing circles on her back.

“You never told anything.” She accused with a muffled voice through the pillow.

“It was not my place to say anything. You needed love and support. Who her father was never bothered you or Dan so…” Penny tried to remind her of how years had passed, without anyone ever questioning Trixie’s paternity or their design to keep it under wraps.

“Dan told me he knew. I didn’t…” She confessed and taking her eyes from the pillow she met her mother’s worried ones.

“Love?”

“He says it was during a case when I was unconscious for some hours and someone had the opportunity to…-“ She couldn’t continue. The meaning was clear, the conclusions as well.

“I thought you knew, that you both knew.” The edge in her mother’s voice was accompanied with her arms engulfed her still wet and shivering body

“The lab came across a match yesterday. It’s Lucifer. How out of all the men I had to go and… How?” Her voice cracked but there were no tears to fall. She had been unable to take out her emotions through crying despite staying up for the most of the night, eyes red and puffy but the constant rubbing instead of tears falling.

Her voice cracked but there were no tears to fall. She had been unable to take out her emotions through crying despite staying up for the most of the night, eyes red and puffy but the constant rubbing instead of tears falling.

“Are you sure?” The doubt in her Penny’s voice mirrored her own feelings.

“Dan and I had this thing going but the window for Trixie’s conception fits only that time in March. It had been over three months since I had been with a man and two months after Preacherstreet I was back with Dan.” This had been the timetable behind her daughter’s creation.

A led to B and B to Trixie. If it had not been Dan then who? The lab’s results had been ran over and over again for accuracy by Ella herself what had been left for Chloe to question?

“Trixie was full term, right? She was rather small.” Penny had always wondered about her grandchild’s small size and her early health issues in life but that would have left just six months. _‘Unless…’_

“Full term. There is only one logical explanation and _he_ is in the middle of it. He is accused of murder, which he… Was he capable of rape as well? I don’t know. I don’t know anymore…” Terror clouded her face searching her mother’s for answers.

“You were right, I was childish. It was the reason why your father and I worked.” Penny chuckled tucking her daughter under the covers more securely to stop her chills.

“Are you going to tell me that opposites attract? Mom, we are not talking about a romance but your daughter been taken advantaged of in the worst possible way.” Chloe’s lower lip trembled and she hide her face in the pillow once more.

“I have met that man and I have met more rapists in the show business, than you would ever care to know. It was one of these things you knew to avoid and word came out on what to notice. The hands, the eyes, their smile when they were sure you were not looking. Lucifer is a _very_ sexual being, there is no question about that but he is not a predator of that kind.” Her hands went through her daughter’s hair untangling the knots she had been too preoccupied to loose them in the shower.

“The evidence don’t lie. He is Trixie’s… I remember very well that month and I’m sure that it was that March. There was only Dan since that time in Preacherstreet how would you explain Trixie happening if not for… If not for…” Chloe’s nostrils flared before sniffling a lone pained sob.

“Time is a very restricting thing for most humans on this planet Chloe. I can only tell you two things. The first is that Lucifer does not strike me as that kind of man. But I have been wrong before.”

Penny squeezed her eyes willing the mere possibility away. Her daughter needed a path where logic ruled even if what she had to offer her went beyond that.

“And the second?” Came her daughter’s voice under the covers.

“The second is that time is also a relative term. I never believed that before you came into our lives. You see we were young and nothing made sense for an uprising actress to have a child. So we waited…”

The corners of her eyes wrinkled by her flickering eyelids. The pain was still there. The expectation and the loss.

“I know Mom, you dealt with fertility problems and then you had me.” Chloe signed and uncovered herself, trying to find the will to get up to dress for court.

“It’s more complicated than that love. As I said it didn’t make sense for me to have kids back then. So when soon after our marriage when we found out that I was expecting we made a decision to wait.” Not willing to let her daughter see the emotion behind her words, she walked to the closet and took the same outfit Chloe had worn for John’s… It would just have to do she guessed. Perhaps the outcome would be the same.

“Mom?” Chloe questioned making Penny lay the two piece on the bed and get back to her daughter.

“Everything went so wrong after that. We had an appointment and the night before we went through with… our decision was taken away from us. Same result, different coping. More complications arose making any future attempts of having children a futile dream really.”

This was not an easy topic. It was never meant to be revealed but the circumstances needed this story to be told to ease the pain. For her daughter to find a path she might have never found otherwise.

“I always wondered why you were so thrilled over me fighting to have Trixie alone at that point.” Blue eyes twinkled at remembering Chloe’s fear over her big news back then.

“Choices are to be made and all you needed to know at that point was that I would have supported you no matter what you choose. I would have stood beside you regardless.” She smiled down taking Chloe again in her arms. They had time, there was always time.

“I felt that she was so much more than me, at that point. My relationship with Dan had started to wither which I didn’t mind really but I still feel like I was in a wild goose chase back then and now… What was even real?” She wondered out loud and Penny shooshed her gently rocking her like John used to do when she was a child.

“Let me finish love and perhaps you will get a different perspective. Everyone was adamant. Children were not in the cards for us.” She said with a grave voice. The same voice every doctor they had visited had delivered the news with.

“Well, I’m here!” Chloe smiled warmly up to her mother and Penny smiled back thanking whoever had put her in her path.

“Yes, you are, but you were more than our miracle honey. There is something that you are unaware of. What was the point of even bringing it up before after all?” She told Chloe with a light tone which didn’t match her grave features.

“We had just started the process of trying to adopt and we were turned down again and again. We were young, healthy but the life between a celebrity and a police officer was not exactly the stable environment the agencies were searching for. From your upbringing, I believe you might agree on that.”

It was the first time she admitted that she had not been the perfect mother but Chloe knew already that the perfect mother was not anywhere to be found in this world. It was but a fantasy and a book guide, now 50% off at some grocery's  shelf.

“It was difficult but I wouldn’t change a thing.” She admitted making her mother’s eyes sparkling.

“I was so distraught after the fifth agency calling to tell us how _sorry_ they were. I just took some cash and got out of the house to get a drink before your father got back from work.”

Penny got more comfortable in the bed and tried to remember every detail of that night. It was not difficult really. It was not what had happened that mattered but the way it had.

“There I was in a bar where I knew I wouldn’t be recognised. Not that it was hard really. I wore something simple and there I was, a pale sobbing mess, over a glass of bourbon for the best part of the night and then he came.” Her forehead creased remembering his words, his comfort…

“Mum… I _am_ a Decker, right?” Chloe asked timidly.

“Let me finish! He was a tall man who had seen me from afar and kindly offered me a second round. I declined but that didn’t stop him from seating next to me. We started talking and that stranger became my confidant. The hours passed quickly talking, joking, crying…” 

She could still count the times he had reached for her hand. Warm and comforting. Innocent and a blessing at the same time. Just a lent ear for the evening.

“Mom?” Her daughter asked again and Penny just tightened her hold around her.

“He was a gorgeous _black_ man darling and it didn’t go anywhere beyond talking. A wonderful, _wonderful_ man. Before we parted our ways he told me that I would be blessed. I never questioned his words. When I got back home that evening your father was waiting for me. He never asked where I had been or with whom. It didn’t matter what the day had brought because soon enough we were down on business.” She laughed at her Chloe’s crinkling her nose in disgust.

“Mom!”

“After a couple of months, I found out that I had conceived that night. But something was not right when we did our first ultrasound. We were supposed to have a 12-week old baby and there was nothing.”

She swallowed thickly remembering how she had handled the news. The breaking down, John's inability to cope with her for the days that followed. Pointless to include that to this story but the memories were there. Digging their way out.

“Oh, Mom… I’m so sorry.”

“For what?” Penny asked brows frowning mirroring perfectly her daughter’s confused expression.

“The baby…” Chloe began now completely detached from her reality. She barely remembered having to present herself in two hours in front of a courtroom and Lucifer.

“That baby is 35 years old today and she doing really well Chloe.” Her mother beamed down at her caressing the features she had taken from John.

“But there was no _fetus_.” Chloe insisted.

“Nothing we could see. Everything pointed out I was pregnant. A miracle by itself but when I went back for a routine check out there was a baby. For a month you weren’t growing but then you just started to develop. They said I most probably had a miscarriage and I conceived back-to-back. That I was carrying twins fertilised on different days. So many unsure opinions but I always had my suspicions.” Penny said fervently playing with Chloe’s necklace.

“It’s medically impossible Mom.” She argued but her mother had believed this to be real for over three decades.

“ _You_ were medically impossible as well love and here you are.”  She said brushing away a thread of wet hair from Chloe's high cheekbone. 

“So what, I was a gestation that lasted for a year?” She huffed while getting up to take out a fresh pair of underwear from the nearest drawer.

“To the _dot_. You were born exactly a year after that night.” Penny insisted despite Chloe shaking her head in exasperation.

“Trixie was conceived during the Peacherstreet case in March, a year would have made it…” She absently counted the months prior the case and her brows frowned.

“While you were in Australia for your training. Did _anything_ happened there?” Penny saw a flush rising in Chloe’s cheeks affirming her suspicions.

Her conviction about her daughter’s conception had never been doubted from John either. He was calling their whole relationship a miracle and their daughter God’s final gift to them. How right he had been.

“There is no logic behind that. It would be impossible to…” Chloe stammered throwing a pair of socks on her bed and furiously searching for the right shoes.

“Chloe was there anyone you were with close to that date?” Penny gently asked making Chloe squat and wrap her arms around her legs.

“No, it was the 25th… not the 24th…” She whispered.

“Love? Australia is in the _East_.” Getting up from the bed she reached her daughter and helped her rise to her feet again.

“But it was Dan… I followed _Dan_ that night.” She assured herself as much as her mother for the fact that either way, even if that crazy possibility had a standing, it had always been Dan.

“Chloe, I have met Lucifer. He must be a lot of things, perhaps even a murderer by some unfortunate reason, but I have seen rapists and he is not one of them.” Penny breathed caressing her daughter’s cheek before leaving her some privacy to get ready for the day.

Staring at the closed door with a new resolve she slipped into the clothes that had been laid out for her still hoping that Trixie would not wake up before she had left. She needed some distance and some answers before she could see her baby again.

With her shoes in one hand and her mobile in the other, she was ready to leave until she caught a glimpse of herself in the door’s mirror. Who was that woman in the reflection? Where was the Detective in her? If this day resulted in a life sentencing verdict or worse she knew that she would probably never be able to get a hold of Lucifer again. For the first days he had declined all visitations and when only yesterday had changed his mind, she had never got to meet him. All Hell had got loose as he would have said.

Never looking away from her reflection’s eyes she dialled the number she hoped it would confirm, just how paranoid she had become in hopes to make sense of her new reality.

“Is this a good time?” She asked knowing fully well that he was probably driving to work at this hour.

“I’m running an errant now but are you okay?” He replied with an obvious reservation. In a matter of twelve hours, had she really become that fragile?

“I am not sure…” She admitted her vulnerability for the first time since they had broken up for the second time.

“If- If you want to press charges you can still do that. Who knows, he might even get in jail and stay there for once.”

That was not what she had considered. The evidence was incriminating to the point of a lethal injection to be considered by the prosecution according to Charlotte’s message this morning.

“Dan, do you remember Australia?” She exhaled and let the question easily flow.

“Of course I do, what does this have to do with… well, you know?” Dan was distracted by something and surely such a question would remind him just how they had come together. In more ways than one since that night.

“Do you remember Perth?” She asked again vividly remembering every inept movement, every rough touch.

“Chloe I’m reaching my destination. Yes, I do remember Perth. We stayed there for weeks and then we were back.” A beeping horn was heard and then Dan swore loudly.

“Wait what about Christmas there?” She pressed again hoping that she would get her answer. That she would erase that impossible probability according to her mother.

“I was hammered for two days straight. You remember that!” He was starting to lose his composure. Chloe could hear him reaching the very edge of his patience but so was she.

“Yes, that happened after the _thing_ on the beach.” She pestered him even further and she heard him sigh in frustration.

“We just went skinny dipping, we had a drink too many and recovered until our flight back home. Your recovery took some more time with that brace on your nose, though. Okay, I’m leaving now.” He said hurriedly and she swore she could feel his thumb over the end dial button.

“Wait!”

“What is it now Chlo?”

“A quick question. Did you have sex that night? _Awkward_ sex?” Her breath caught waiting for his reply.

“We weren’t even together back then! I had some chances but no, I had the company of Jack and Daniel’s though. Seven of them!”

The harsh breathing should have tipped him off that something was wrong yet he was too preoccupied to put too much thought in this call.

“Chloe? Chloe!?”

Stormy and bewildered blue-grey eyes asked questions that were answered in the most unbelievable way. Touching the base of her neck she pinched it hard. Pain instantly made her eyes to close long enough for her to catch the handle and open her door. A breakdown would have to wait until she knew for sure.

Lucifer insisted of being in L.A. for five years. Perhaps he _had_ seen her naked. Between lunacy and clarity stood the thread of the impossible and she was willing to grasp it tightly if only for a day. A breakdown would just have to wait she repeated to herself and run to the front door never acknowledging the questioning eyes of her mother from the living room.

 

* * *

**30th of December, 2016 13:02 PM**

Los Angeles Court House, Downtown L.A.

 

He had some serious reservations on whether Mother actually knew what she was doing, having read the _Law books_ or not in two days. Or the reason she was so inept, was exactly because she had read them in such a short amount of time.

Maze hopped on the chair's stand without bothering making the turn to climb up the three stairs in result giving an eyeful to the officer behind her.

“Mazikeen Smith do you swear to-“ The officer stammered at her salacious grin while roaming his large frame.

“No, thank you.” She interrupted him and put her legs on the wooden divider much to the disgust of the judge.

“Ms Smith this is a misdemeanour punishable by imprisonment for up to six months and a fine of $750.” The judge warned her and pointing at the same time her extended legs.

“Ms _Smith_ …” Lucifer growled under his breath catching Maze’s attention. Reluctantly she dropped her legs and narrowed her eyes on the presented Bible.

“Right… I take an oath on the asshole above, to tell the truth, or so help me Lucifer. Does that work for you?” She asked the stunned public officers. The prosecutor dumbly nodded and so did the Judge to Lucifer’s great relief.

“As long as you swear, to tell the truth.” The Judge told her pressing her lips in a tight line.

“It goes against my nature but if Mr Mornigstar _demands_ it from me.” Maze answered waiting for the right command from him.

“Don’t get _cheeky_ Mazikeen…” He inaudibly threatened her like he had done months ago. Jail apparently had earned back his Demon’s respect as she obeyed immediately without questioning him.

“Yes, I do swear.” She grunted shooting daggers at the book she had to touch even fleetingly for the oath.

“Finally.” The prosecutor exclaimed making Maze’s eyes narrow and her hands absently searching for her, _unfortunately_ , left back at the apartment, knives.

“Ms Smith, how long have you known Mr Mornigstar?” The prosecutor questioned not daring to leave the safety his desk offered just yet. 

Lucifer marvelled that the man seemed to finally have some self-preservation.

“An eternity. Ever since I was a child actually. He was a family friend, then sort of family…” Maze’s clipped tone reminded him their first meeting. She had been so young back then. Never innocent but she had been a scorned child which had come to stay literally under his wings as an adult.

“Your records do not appear to go beyond five years. The same goes for Mr Morningstar. Also, would you please explain your familial relationship with him?” The rush of the prosecutor’s speech was full of an excitement which Lucifer could not find promising for supporting his case.

“He was the uncle of one of my brothers. That was the only familial relationship we ever had.” Lucifer turned away to look out of the window. Whenever that point of time was mentioned he was craving the sight of a shining star.

“And the records?” Tilly tried to goad her to an obvious open trap.

“Not my place to explain that.” Maze simply answered locking her eyes with Lucifer’s.

“You answer on a court, I believe _it is_ your place.” The man pointed out and Lucifer nodded in permission.

“Lucifer wanted me by his side in L.A. When he planned our relocation he made the right arrangements for me to have these records.” She again replied truthfully.

“By illegal means Ms Smith?” The prosecutor's hands were trembling and Lucifer was sure it was from a sick kind of excitement.

“Objection!” Charlotte pipped making Lucifer jump at the sudden exclamation.

“Prosecutor Tilly, please focus on this case.” The Judge asked in a bored tone but keeping her eyes on Lucifer’s now bare ankles.

“I’m trying to uncover Mr Morningstar’s insidious dealings which may include illegal acts as well as more murders.” Tilly passionately declared his intention to uncover everything unholy and incriminating about Lucifer Morningstar.

“Mr Morningstar is on trial on the allegation of _one_ murder. It is not the time or the place prosecutor!” The Judge licked her lips and glared at the prosecutor for constantly losing his focus from the case on hand.

“ _Right_. Ms Smith. Did you know the body for which your employer is accused of murdering?”

“First, he not my employer anymore and second yes. He was Uriel. Lucifer’s brother.” A low murmur was heard in the courtroom accompanied with the furiously scrubbing of pen on paper from the prosecutor.

“Something that the forensic lab has still to supply us with.” The prosecutor stared Charlotte accusingly.

“He was a prick and got at the wrong place at the wrong time.” 

That demon wanted him to get a death sentence. Tagging his shirt’s scratchy collar he barely noticed Mother’s left hand swatting his hands down on his lap again.

“Was that Mr Morningstar’s path?” Tilly faked a wild guess.

“Uriel had gone rogue. Many requested Lucifer to return to the family’s business and he refused. Uriel thought it would be a good idea to try to persuade his brother on returning something that had granted Lucifer his stay in L.A.” Maze explained as simply as she could the complex family situation of the celestial beings in L.A. for the past year or so. 

“What is the family business?” Tilly asked stepping in front from the prosecutor’s desk for the first time since Maze’s testimony had begun. Lucifer just hoped he wouldn’t approach too close, at least not _yet._

“Architecture… Planning… Security… All sort of noble things actually. At least according to them.” She sniffed her disdain on the matters Heaven had its hands on. Always showing off.

“Can you give an example?”

“The Catholic Church?” She told him not really caring to delve into more details. 

“Ms Smith you are under oath!” The Judge openly expressed her frustration while closing her arms on her chest.

“Well, he asked me!” She defended herself.

“So the family deals with the Catholic church?” Tilly asked carefully trying to find exactly how deranged the witness was in the paper’s he had on his desk.

“They are known to meddle with it, yes.” More than meddle actually, but they couldn’t really tell them how involved they really were now, could they?

“He does look a bit like an Italian…” The prosecutor muttered sizing Lucifer up in obvious jealousy.

“I would choose Welsh, English is my hard limit but please do continue!” Lucifer mocked with a sober face.

“Lucifer!” Charlotte kicked him again receiving her a scowl from the Judge.

“Yes, well… You said Uriel Morningstar went rogue…-“ The prosecutor continued missing the interaction between the Defender and the Judge

“Just Uriel.”

“Different fathers?” He guessed.

“Just a complicated family.”

“Back to Uriel. What did he come back to collect from Mr Morningstar?”

Now that was the one million question. They couldn’t very well say the defender's lawyer now could they. Lucifer raised his head heavenward and wondered if He had a good laugh today at his expense.

“The deal between them was simple really. Lucifer would either fulfil his promise and do the Family’s dirty deeds or Uriel would take back what was the reason for that deal.”

Maze searched Lucifer’s eyes finding them tired and pained on this ongoing questioning over Uriel.

“Are you suggesting that Mr Morningstar family is involved in illegal activities?” The flare of excitement in Tilly’s voice was getting old and Lucifer found himself trying to discard his shoes when Mother wasn’t looking.

“Them? Never they would never have hurt none down here but Uriel was different. He could make things _happen_.”

“Like what exactly?”

“Make Lucifer’s partner disappear.” Lucifer’s ears caught a throat struggling to inhale far behind him. Daring himself to turn he saw the Detective cradling her head in her hands.

“Detective Decker?” Palming her face the Detective stared at Maze and then turned to look at him.

“How do you bargain with a man who has everything and yet nothing to lose? You strike at the one thing you know it will put him back in line. It didn’t work. They met and then all Hell literally broke loose.”

She attempted to mouth a thousand questions. When Mother’s hand tried to turn him straight to the front he resisted and won the silent argument. He didn’t know what Chloe was thinking when she stood up and turned the handle of the door to get out of the courtroom. At the same time, he never knew what made her hand slip and her body fall heavily on the nearest chair. Charlotte’s hand this time gently turned him to look at Maze who had seen the whole exchange in an uncomfortable silence.

“Did you witness the confrontation between Mr Morningstar and his brother before he died?” The prosecutor asked again with a beaming smile of unfounded brilliance.

“The last time I saw Uriel’s face, he had beaten Lucifer down to the ground and he was very much alive and rather smug about it.”

The last time she had seen him he had been alive and then she was unconscious. Lucifer had covered his body and had simply pleaded to bring him a car. Any car would do he had said. While she had dug the first and the second grave he had mourned over his brother both times.

“Do you have any idea or solid knowledge of who may be responsible for his death?”

“All I know is that Uriel was found dead and Lucifer, his older brother, has already mourned his loss more than once.” Maze told him truthfully.

“You do not answer my question.” Tilly fished her reluctance to give him a straight answer.

“Uriel was not supposed to be in Los Angeles. He was reckless and believed he could know everything the future would bring. That alone must have been the reason for his unfortunate ending.”

Uriel had always been proud. Seeking the power of absolute omniscience had been his craving and a game between several of His children. Unfortunately what Uriel couldn’t predict he aimed to control and manipulate to his own gain. Or Father’s gain as he put it.

“I see… So the answer is no?”

“The answer is that you have Mr Morningstar’s brother dead and just a few days ago Mr Morningstar was assaulted with the intention to be hurt and if humanly possible to inflict some fatal damage as well. What does that tell you?” Maze had raised her voice into a clear threatening level which the poor man seemed completely unaware of.

“That would be all Ms Smith.” He dismissed her pulling a long face over his inability to reach a clear answer.

“Ms Smith we all know that you are currently working as a bounty hunter. A difficult job, especially for a woman.” Charlotte began her questioning. 

“Say that again….” Maze snarled to an unfazed Charlotte.

“Mazikeen!” Lucifer hissed bringing her grudgingly back to order. 

“You have acted as Mr Morningstar’s bodyguard for years and have been together as close friends for longer than eternity itself as some may say. Have you ever seen Mr Morningstar murder a human being?” She asked looking at the glowering prosecutor. 

“No.”

“Harm anyone?”

“Never fatally and never without a good reason. No charges were ever pressed mind you.”

“Has he ever harmed anyone that would inquire a police investigation?” She asked again checking the previous two questions off her list.

“Lucifer prefers to not touch filth if he can help it. He has never broken a bone or physically tortured any living soul on this planet.” She honestly said this time demanding the Detective’s eyes on hers.

“Have you?” The prosecutor interrupted.

“It is my witness, for now, your honour.” Charlotte told the Judge deeply annoyed.

“Answer to the prosecutor’s question Ms Smith.” The Judge took the side of the prosecutor to Lucifer’s surprise.

“I’m into dark BDMS… What do you think?” Maze took out her tongue and teased the man.

“Ehm… That would be all… Thank you.”

Maze had done her best to ire Lucifer this morning. He would now have to watch a waste of a holy triad owner, with a picklish erection for the rest of this session.

“Finally Ms Smith let’s say theoretically that Mr Morningstar has committed the act he is accused of. Why would he do that.” Charlotte finally asked for the first time requesting Maze’s opinion much like how Tilly had attempted to do with the Doctor.

“Lucifer would never take a human life. He is not just incapable of doing that but it goes against everything he is. If such an act had happened, which has not, it would have never been an intentional act. A desperate moment in time? Perhaps. But I have to stress this again. Lucifer Morningstar has never killed a human being and he will never do that, no matter the circumstances.” Maze replied with her hand resting on the binding of the Bible for a full effect.

“Thank you for your illuminating statement, Ms Smith. You can _get off_ the stand if the prosecutor has nothing else to add of course” The Judge said releasing Maze from the stand

“No…I'm good.” Was the only high-pitched answer coming from prosecutor Tilly, who was now squirming in his seat.

  

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

 

* * *

Songs used for this entry:

[Black Sea - Natasha Blume](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8DFh-JmiS0)

[The River - The Darcys](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2lHbvPEtk8)

After pulling an all-nighter (02-03/04/2017), they wrapped the 2nd season's finale. [Someone is Exhausted... ](https://dailytomellis.tumblr.com/video_file/t:DOgxJqfa1W3T_AZknwbw1Q/159156956880/tumblr_onugel4dJa1vr3yyv/480)

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I told you it was half done. Chapter 13 will be up most probably during the weekend. 
> 
> 2) A03 has a FB page. Why am I mentioning this? This fandom is relatively new. I have seen fandoms grow from 2-3 hundred fanfics to a couple of thousands and then they wither once the show is off. But at the FB page, I have seen how when you love something you don't let it go easily. Also, I love how diverse fanfic writers are. 
> 
> I'm sure that no one will know/remember The Planet, or as it was called afterwards TheBlueTights.net. It was a good place for \S/ fans and had some awesome writers at its fanfic forum. I keep contact with some of them but although I cannot talk anymore about the fandoms I write, I decided that it was time to talk about fanfiction in general. So if you ever feel constricted here and you avoid Tumblr (I do), just come over and I swear you will not even know who I am in real life. After all it's about A03 and fanfic writing, not aimless chattering.
> 
> 3) According to Wondercon *Spoilers*: So they showed the first 5 minutes of 2x14 in Wondercon... Episode 2x14 starts just two weeks after 2x13. Yep, Lucifer could only stay away for two weeks. He indeed got 'married' (I remind you that Candy is in the cast for just 2x14 according to IMDB) and according to a source, Chloe's face when she finds that out is summarised as "Her face! Her face! (x)". Chloe was so relieved/hesitant to see Lucifer she had to touch him to make sure he was real (x) Then everything went downhill from there. Oh my... Just 26 more days.. Hang in there...
> 
> Also as you know, if you follow the same sources as I do, Lucifer comes back thinking they can move on from the place they were only now Chloe is understandably confused, hurt and pissed and she is even more thrown when she learns where Lucifer was and why. So Joe Henderson says that Lucifer and Chloe will be on a rockier footing than we have ever seen them.
> 
> There are even more spoilers but if we get to specifics it would be a shame really. Let's stay with what we all know without the spoilers. 2x14 is going to be gut-wrenching...


	13. A Fusillade of Veracity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of A Fusillade of Veracity:
> 
> The trial is taking a new turn when Ella Lopez, Chloe Decker and Lucifer himself are called to testify on the stand. Who would have ever thought that-... Yes, it's the details that matter here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Warnings
> 
> Chapter 13 had to be split in two. I just didn't want to post a 7K+ chapter again. So this one is around 3.6K and chapter 14 is around 4.6K. It may seem a bit boring but bear in mind that it was supposed to be part of the 11th chapter and then beginning of the 13th. Alas, chapter 14 holds the most interesting progress for this story, so far that is. It's not great but you get the point.

* * *

 Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**A Fusillade of Veracity**

  

 

 **30th of December, 2016 13:49 PM**  
**Metropolitan Detention Center of Los Angeles**

Everything appeared to be in order for the third day in a row which had the guards of the detention establishment more than pleased. The understaffing had been an issue for years even at a facility as new as this one. Therefore, when the fights and the smuggling had seemed to stop in a matter of hours after Mr Morningstar’s detainment, many had expressed a hope that his trial would have a good outcome. No one ever specified for whom. The man or the Metropolitan detention centre. Unfortunately, the one didn’t benefit the other.

“Travis!” The man heard Mitch panting from behind his station's locked door. Morningstar had left less than three hours ago and they already had a situation brewing?

“We have a situation?” Travis said grimly picking up his keys and reached for his plastic bullet gun.

“Worse.” Mitch nervously ushered him away from the surveillance and led him quickly through the corridors of the centre. When they got down to the basement of the centre Mitch pointed one of the doors of the public area where most private meetings were taking place.

Nodding with his head, Mitch urged Travis to look through the room’s viewing slot. Thoughtfully Travis approached the slot and hissing he withdrew backwards at the sudden hot air that escaped through the opening. With his eyes still burning, he peeped into the room again where part of the selling at the back seemed to have melted down.

“A short-circuit? That was the big deal? Call the electrician in charge. Sheesh!" Travis rubbed his stinging eyes annoyed to have almost missed the beginning of his launch hour over this.

“No. Look at the left corner!” Mitch demanded, shoving him back to look through the slot.

“What do you- Oh Mother of God!” He stuttered at the sight in the far end of the room blindly searching for the keys to the room on his belt. 

 

* * *

 

**30th of December, 2016 13:56 PM**

**Los Angeles Court House, Downtown L.A.**

The court was back in session when the Prosecutor slipped a note to the judge with a great amount of self-satisfaction. Lucifer’s comment on how he had a less idiotic expression after his solo sessions, earned him a hard stare from both the Prosecutor and his defence attorney.

The relaxed stance of the prosecutor was explained when Ella Lopez was called to testify to the stand. As always she had a messy bun up and despite her casual clothing that screamed last-minute witness, her features held a steely gaze on the Prosecutor.

“Ms Lopez I believe you contacted the prosecution for some invaluable evidence regarding the murder of Mr Mornigstar’s brother-“ Tilly begun his rhetoric with an unconcealed victorious smirk on his face.

“Speculation your Honour!” Charlotte yelled exasperated with the Prosecutor.

“Agreed let it be taken off the records.” The Judge agreed and signalled at the record keeper to dismiss the last words of the Prosecutor.

“Allow me. Lucifer Morningstar asked me a favour on the 15th of November. He requested my expertise as a forensic lab worker for a non-grave, grave-” Ella tried to explain the backstory as clearly as she could for the court.

“Non-grave, grave? Please elaborate.” The Prosecutor encouraged Ella, whose eyes twinkled very much like they had over the broken glass on Dean Cooper’s table.

“The location was in the middle of San Gabriel woods. There was a large pit, an empty one and I was asked to investigate the site for any clues.” She continued unfazed by the growing enthusiasm of the Prosecutor.

“Could it have been the victim’s first grave then?” He asked like a child on Christmas drumming his fingers on the wooden table, catching the Judge’s attention for once away from Lucifer.

“Yes. But there is more to this. After I looked through the site, a footprint was found which matched to an ongoing murder investigation at the time. That of Duncan Watts.”

Lucifer tried to look back again at the Detective. She was still seated on the chair near the exit while she had her eyes tightly shut. There was no turmoil or sincerity on her face as he would have expected by her today. She had put up a blank face which matched her closed eyes. He had no idea what went through her head as she had completely shut off from the world around her. The only indication that she was affected by what she was hearing was the constant rubbing of her thumbs in the middle of her crossed hands.

“When I confronted with Mr Mornigstar he asked me to have faith in him. I did as I had nothing to report until _now_.” At the sound of the word faith Lucifer though he saw a ghost smile forming on the Detective’s lips.

“Ms Lopez, do you realise that you can be removed from your position for concealing evidence?” If the words had the desired effect on Ella she refused to cave to the Prosecutor’s pleasure of bullying information out the 'witnesses' of this case.

“The site I was taken to, had no connections to the investigation and the footprint proved nothing by itself. For all I knew, Mr Watts had taken a stroll in the forest a few days prior. What connected it with that case was Maddie Howard, Duncan Watts’ first victim. Or so we thought until Mr Morningstar’s case gave us an unidentified body.” 

Ella’s eyes carried an unspoken consolation right to the far back of the room where two pairs of eyes had suddenly opened wide at this new evidence.

“The prosecution has not been informed about this particular kind of evidence and we would like a break to consult with Ms Lopes about them.” Tilly scattered his records around and scratched slowly in deep thought his neck.

“Overruled and we will proceed.” The Judge declared looking over at Ella for her to conclude her findings, on the new evidence that would be presented for the first time in court.

“Maddie Howard’s stab wounds were mostly clean aside from the first deep ones. A trace of non-identified at the time, dried blood had been detected in the first two wounds but there never was a match until today or I should say until three days ago.”

The first rule when you had a sword was to always clean it after you use it. Thankfully, Lucifer had never been much of a fighter so when the blade had served its unfortunate purpose, he never saw the point of cleaning the blood from the steel. Especially when he had been drenched with it from head to toes.

“Speculation, your Honour.” The Prosecutor attempted to erase the last statement from the record of the trial with no real success.

“I see none. Please conclude Ms Lopez” The Judge glared at the Prosecutor and waved with her left hand while taking notes with her right.

“According to evidence, the unidentified body who the lab has proved to be Mr Mornigstar’s biological brother was the first victim of Duncan Watts. That’s what the court should know today.” Ella finally concluded and between the defeated look of the Prosecutor and the feigned worry of Charlotte over Tilly’s health, Ms Lopes was released from the stand.

 

* * *

  

There were many walks of shame, a woman or a man could take in their lives although Lucifer Morningstar would certainly not agree. Her steps were slow, stiff and calculated. She had to walk around thirty more steps and climb three more. With a tight smile, she turned down the officer’s help to get to the stand and tried not to have any eye contact with the occupants of the courtroom.

“Detective Decker, trusting your _Detective_ perception I would like to ask you about your partner's behaviour around the 15th of November.” Tilly inquired dispassionately after Ella's disastrous testimony.

“Lucifer was uncommonly wild in the middle of November. He was drinking, well more than usual and his behaviour was not _right_..” Her fingers found the warm metal of her necklace and she twisted the small stone around her fingers.

“Please specify your statement, _‘not right’_.” 

Chloe could feel not only the Prosecutor’s eyes on her but Lucifer's as well. It had taken her a few weeks after their first meeting before she could realise that she knew exactly when he was looking at her.

“He was dishevelled, shirt untucked, not trimmed into perfection when he wouldn’t be caught dead with a mere smudge on his shirt on a regular day. He was also short-tempered. He snapped at me verbally and stood between a sniper and his next victim. Would you consider all that as being _all right_?”

Most of the pieces so far had been laid out for her to see yet she was still missing the crucial minority of them for the whole picture to be completed. Chloe had suspected something was not right in November and still, it had taken her too long to offer him to talk about whatever burdened him. His comment on soothing talks and fuzzy hugs was now making sense.

Dealing with the loss of a brother must have taken him to a whole new level of disorientation for a man who already understood so little of how emotions worked. Especially when he had committed the crime, despite the previously exhibited evidence. The detail Maze had slipped on her involvement in that picture had not escaped her. However, she was not willing to consider how big her part had been while under oath and testifying on an already tilted to his favour case. She had to keep that balance for as long as possible.

“Did he ever gave you a reason for this kind of behaviour?” Tilly questioned with his words dragging while he read some of his notes.

“No. I urged him to seek help or at least talk to a person who would listen.” She replied honestly, her hand still fingering her necklace.

“Did he?”

“He was better after a few days so I guess he did.” Chloe’s eyes dropped on Doctor Linda who was shifting in her seat. 

“Detective Decker… After Ms Lopez testimony the prosecution requested all the results from the lab regarding Mr Morningstar. I believe you know where I’ll stand for my next question.”

“No, I do not.” Wringing her hands on her lap she mentally snorted on the Prosecutor’s warning on what was going to follow.

“The body’s blood sample, as well as Mr Morningstar's, were matched with your daughter’s for genetic relevance. Mr Mornigstar is your daughter’s biological father…”

She had wished this to remain under wraps for as long as possible but that man had to dig everything out even if they were unrelated to the case. His intent was not to seek justice but to make sure he could humiliate and then convict Lucifer.

“Objection! Whether Detective Decker and my client had relations or are related through a child has nothing to do with this case!” Charlotte raised her voice over Lucifer’s chuckle.

At Lucifer’s sound, Chloe inspected the man’s still relaxed form. He didn’t seem to be surprised by the news but he was not accepting them either. Shaking his head she caught the word ' _preposterous'_ forming on his lips before Charlotte shushed him again to silence.

"Partly accepted Mrs Richards. I advise the prosecutor to know where he is going with that line of questioning.”

“Mr Mornigstar’s records go only five years back and the child has recently turned eight, your Honour. A man with no past or any kind of records before his appearance in the system, 5 years ago, can be liable for more than just a murder.” The Prosecutor reasoned calmly.

The new evidence had not tilted the scale towards Lucifer but against him. ' _Damn!'_  

Chloe never taking her eyes from Lucifer’s found the strength to betray him for the first time since they had met. She could live with her father’s murderer walking out free but not with Lucifer’s life on the line.

“I can answer that. Detective Espinosa and I, have been led to believe that Mr Mornigstar’s identity before assuming his present identity was that of Sammy G. His last name will not be given due to official court restrictions.”

Her voice was a whisper but had been heard clearly in the courtroom. The name Sammy must have ringed a bell on Lucifer because his eyes widened, brows shoot up and his right hand reached for Charlotte’s. She never thought she would ever see betrayal colouring these dark eyes but his refusal to look at her again, was enough for her to know that she had overstepped a very sensitive for him line. A very private and very painfully drawn line.

“Sammy G.?” Tilly blinked in confusion demanding more answers which Chloe refused to give.

“Sammy G.’s file and records are sealed since he was ten. I plead to the court to remain so.” She said in a struggled voice pleading for the first time Lucifer to look at her but his glazed gaze was set downcast and still had not let Charlotte’s hand.

“That would be all Detective.” The Judge released her before calling for a short break.

 

* * *

 

The view from the stand was different this time that it had been almost a month ago. There was no jury to entertain nor there was a big audience. He could see none of his previous conquests in the courtroom which gave him a gut wrecking perspective on what was important in humanity. Pleasure, a night of sweet nothings and a wave goodbye by the door. The only person who actually cared didn't know where to look at. She was the one now avoiding his eyes whenever possible under the ongoing paternity claims of no other than Beatrice Decker-Espinosa he wondered how the Detective had responded to the news. If there was one thing he knew for sure for the core of his very existence was he knew his nature and what that made him. The Devil did not need a definition or a philosophical analysis. Neither did his Father's actions after

She was the one now avoiding his eyes whenever possible under the ongoing paternity claims of no other than that of Beatrice Decker-Espinosa. He wondered how the Detective had responded to this ludicrous news. If there was one thing he knew for sure, for the core of his very existence was his nature and what that made him. The Devil did not need a definition or a philosophical analysis. Neither did his Father's actions after Imbriel's indiscretion. 

His sentence over Uriel was surely already been arranged in the Silver City, so all he had to fight for here was for a few good years with the Detective. At least before one of his siblings decided that Lucifer had to finally pay for Uriel's murder. He had no illusions of time or worth anymore. His stay in the detention centre had illuminated him the reason of his existence once again. He was good at not only punishing but finding the ones who were worthy of it, so sooner or later his vacation would end forcefully. All he had to look forward to was for the borrowed time as humans withered and died under his watch. The Detective and the spawn included. That he had to admit wounded him deeply, still he would fight for the _graciously_ given peaceful seconds of eternity. 

“Mr Morningsrat perhaps you don’t know that but sealed records cannot be opened from the prosecution for months after they are requested so I would advise you to answer honestly.” The Prosecutor's voice fluctuated.

Lucifer, as well as, Tilly knew that the trial could be won by the prosecution with some strategically well-placed questions which would have Lucifer finding himself at the north of the state cutting his vacation time short. 

“Are you Sammy G.?” Looking down at his thumbs Lucifer saw them twisting and trying to rub his nails off by the agitation whenever that name was used. 

Linda was looking at him worriedly, remembering pretty well the last time that name had been mentioned in his presence, he had punched a hole in her office's wall.

“I was once known as Sammy…” He replied quietly flinching when the name left his lips. 

“I will take that as a yes.” The light scribble of paper was heard alongside steady and confident steps coming his way towards the stand. 

“Mr G.-“ Tilly began close to the stand.

“Morningstar if you please.” Lucifer corrected him softly. There was only one name he could not bear to hear aside from Samael. Sammy. 

“Mr Morningstar have you pleaded guilty or innocent because I never actually heard it in the beginning of this trial.” 

All his nervous movements ceased and turned to look at the Prosecutor with a lost expression. Turning to Charlotte he waited for instructions which never came. It had been easy playing witness the first time but the second was proven to be more troublesome. 

‘I..-“

“My client pleads innocent on all accounts your honour, can we please proceed?" Charlotte took over his reply and cast a warning glare at the slowly rising Maze behind her. 

“Mr Mornigstar you pride yourself on being always truthful. Therefore, I’ll ask again. Are you innocent or guilty?” He asked plainly and Lucifer could swear he had never heard such a stillness since before Creation took over this part of the universe. 

“I drove my brother to Los Angeles and gave him no choice but to seek me out.” The Prosecutor's eyes told him that he had not been fooled. Lucifer had obviously avoided replying the question. 

“I bet that was an interesting meeting.” He said in an unnaturally friendly tone making Lucifer draw back his chair a bit. 

“You will never know just how much Mr Tilly.” Uriel always had the tendency to jabber and their meeting had found fertile ground for one of his great lectures.  

“What happened at that meeting?” 

“He wanted to send my mother back to Hell and I told him no.” Lucifer told him in the most natural way he always carried when talking about matters of Heaven or Hell. 

“Where is your mother now Mr Morningstar?” The Prosecutor asked hunched, pen ready in hand to jot down his answer. 

“Right over there.” Lucifer pointed Charlotte who was now making some very odd noises at the back of her throat. 

“Mrs Richards? Is that supposed to be some kind of a joke for you Mr Mornigstar?” Tilly spat at him, pen meeting with a hard clashing noise the hardwood divider between them. 

“Mr Tilly although you cannot have access to a sealed file, I do and I would like to overrun this line of questioning. Therefore, if you, please…”  

The Judge was watching Lucifer carefully. His complexion was no longer dark and rosy but it had been replaced by an almost blanched one apart from a slight flush on his ears.  

“Yes, your Honour…” The Prosecutor muttered in disappointment dragging a big 'x' on the next page of his notes. 

“Thank you, your Honour.” Charlotte thanked the Judge with a sincere voice Lucifer had not heard in aeons. 

“Right… As a police consultant do you believe that there is any kind of bias regarding your case Mr Morningstar? You have closely worked with Ms Lopez, Detective Espinosa and Detective Decker for about a year now.”   
  
The Prosecutor was trying the same trick he had pulled for the all this trial's witnesses. Tilly was now aiming at the personal involvement of the LAPD with this case. 

“The Prosecutor obviously does not know about _integrity_. There is no bias of any kind, there would have never been, no matter the case.” 

He stated simply catching the Detective's eyes for the first time in a long while looking at him very much like they had that very first morning in LUX. She was trying to decode him, or better yet to dissect all meaning for future use. 

“And yet you have fathered Detective Decker’s daughter… Doesn’t that prompt any kind of… _sympathy_ on her part and perhaps the LAPD’s department as well?”  

Tilly sat on the edge of his desk, hands crossed waiting for Lucifer's answer and he was not the only one. The Detective had shifted in her seat and never once broke their eye contact. She wanted answers and damn it all to Hell if he was not honest with her. He had never lied and he would _never_ lie to her. 

“Again there is no such kind of influences and as far as I am aware, I’m _sterile_. I cannot procreate.” 

There was no regret in his voice but the burden he was expecting to have lifted at that admission as he had done so many times before at charges of having fathered a child after a night of passion, never happened. The Detective's features dimmed, her lips pressing together in a slight grimace. 

“I have ten pages of repetitive testing that say otherwise. Where were you in March of 2008?”  

Lucifer had seen the exact copies of these ten pages and when he shook his head, the person of his sole focus closed her eyes and rubbed the middle of her forehead. Lucifer felt his eyes flutter close as well trying to understand what was passing through her head at that moment. 

 

* * *

_To be Continued..._

* * *

 

Songs Used For this Entry:

  
[Lucifer ✘ you know I try ](https://youtu.be/-w4Nr7u06EU)

A beautiful fanvideo that shows Lucifer's anguish over Uriel and his Devil *nature*:

[The Study On Falling - Asaf Avidan](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbyufvOzB2w)

(But I prefer this [live version](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYlKo-sXD60))

_'In the morning when the smoke is cleared..._

_Will be waking up alone_

_And the story of how we ended here_

_Is the same old one we know'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) When I was wondering how I could find evidence to support Lucifer I remembered that the blade had most probably not been cleaned... 
> 
> 2) It's Easter week so I have to attend church every day... Can you imagine how awkward that is? To read the prayer book while thinking over this story's plot?
> 
> 3) Chapter 14 will be up on Sunday. It's written and I only have to edit it but first I have to write , edit and post Tumblr's gift exchange one-shot.


	14. The Ineluctable Defenestration of Logic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of The Ineluctable Defenestration of Logic:
> 
> It's Lucifer's time to take the stand and certain information are a bit too difficult to be given. When the verdict is out Lucifer is shocked by learning what makes Chloe so different as well as why Trixie's paternity might not be the sham he thought it was. Unfortunately, he makes a really bad decision...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very difficult chapter because it deals with a turn in the story if you like to call it that. I tried to write this chapter to the best of my ability. To use as few cliches as possible and make it perhaps a somewhat memorable scene for you. If you decide to comment on this chapter please tell me what you thought when you read that scene. Too much? Too little? Hopefully just right?
> 
> Additionally, I would like to let you know that I might have to take more time between my updates. I have to focus on other things and that means that 4-5K per week is a bit too much when I have to write two or three times that volume per week at the same time.

 Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

**The Ineluctable Defenestration of Logic**

 

“I have ten pages of repetitive testing that say otherwise. Where were you in March of 2008?”  

Lucifer had seen the exact copies of these ten pages and when he shook his head, the person of his sole focus closed her eyes and rubbed the middle of her forehead. Lucifer felt his eyes flutter close as well trying to understand what was passing through her head at that moment. 

“Objection your Honour, it’s once again irrelevant to the case!” His Mother came to the rescue, once again, but this time it was not needed.

“Oh, I can answer that… Somewhere far, _far_ away from Detective Decker, I assure you.” 

He said with conviction rolling the last word with such a great emphasis that had the Detective's eyes open. There was a mixture of hope, distrust and confusion behind her grey-blue eyes as he had never seen before.

“You are a _notorious_ ladies man Mr Morningstar do you expect me to believe you would remember every single one of your bed warmers?” The man scoffed and dropped the files back on the desk.

“Careful there Prosecutor… But yes, you should believe that. Before 2010 I entertained only one female, in particular, Mazikeen Smith. You could say we were… exclusive back then. Well, sort of…”

At Maze’s sultry wave, the Prosecutor cleared his throat and got back to that annoying high-pitched tone again.

“Elaborate the ‘ _sort of',_ if you please”

“Well, you could say that my first _complete_ sexual experience was in 2007. After that encounter, Mazikeen Smith was my only partner until I arrived in Los Angeles in 2010.”

The Detective's gaze turned clouded and distant. Lucifer could see clearly her cheeks inflate and release each breath rhythmically in an attempt to control her rising need to fill her lungs.

“Who was the lucky lady?” The Prosecutor asked sharply, poking his tongue into the inside of his cheek in a manner Lucifer was way too familiar with.

“Mr Tilly!” The Judge intervened scandalised.

“No idea really…” Out of all his sexual escapades that was the one he had not shared its details with anyone. Not even Maze. 

His ring was gone. Probably liquefied, pulverised and that small memento of his had been taken as evidence. There was no ring to twist around his finger, no commitment to uphold anymore. Memories and the effects of that night would forever be there digging for more questions than he had ever cared to answer. Lucifer’s mood slumped further when a lone cloud deemed the courtroom with only a few sun rays making it into the now gloomy room. 

“Mr Mornigstar you have claimed to remember every sexual partner you ever had… And yet you cannot recall your first. Is that inconsistency I see here?” The Prosecutor sneered walking too close to the stand for Lucifer's liking. 

“Your Honour, what is the point of going through my client’s sexual history? Isn’t that degrading and completely irrelevant to the case?” Charlotte reasoned not missing her son’s mood, change to the worse when the sun was hidden by the passing clouds. He had always been a child of the light, anything else was slowly killing him. How had he maintained his sanity in Hell she would never know. 

“Not when your client is openly lying!” Tilly waved her off dismissively. 

“I never had the chance to know her name. All I can tell you it was a rather embarrassing and mortifying experience at a beach in Perth on the 25th of December of 2007. Satisfied with that counsellor? I certainly was back then.”

Lucifer grasped the divider's wood making it crinkle under the applied pressure. His neck cords were standing out pulsing steadily on his strained throat.

The screech of a chair was heard at the back of the room followed by a door yanked open. The Detective was openly heaving at her way out only to be stopped from leaving. The last person Lucifer had expected to see in the courtroom today had just entered the room. Penelope Decker was there taking her daughter by her shoulders.

Placing a hand on her breastbone the Detective said an emphatical " _No"_ before Penelope forced her to sit and not leave the courtroom. A tightening in his chest buzzed up to his ears making him almost miss the Prosecutor's next question which had Chloe clawing her ears in obvious distress.

“You expect me to believe that a what… nearly 30-year-old man back then was still a _virgin_ and is now the most well-known womaniser of Los Angeles?” Tilly said lifting a single eyebrow at Lucifer's response and the Judge's slackening jaw. 

“A late bloomer I suppose…” He said clasping his knees, trying to force them not to flex and walk across the room demanding answers he dreaded to hear. 

“I call this bull-“ The Prosecutor spluttered pointing at Lucifer with his shaking index finger. 

“Mr Tilly!” The Judge jerked the gavel tapping it over the block of wood repeatedly trying to get the courtroom back in order. 

“Tilly… Yes… I think I finally know what has you hot and bothered. Perhaps Caroline Tilly? Or at least she was a Tilly two years ago…"  
  
With his focus on the Detective, he had missed that little information. His Prosecutor was the inadequate in bed jerk, who had tried to have way too many affairs behind his wife's back. Until she found out of course. She had soon after decided to file for a divorce and then seek Lucifer out for a brief but rather interesting affair. 

“You bastard!” The man yelled launching on Lucifer who had a long leg stretched out in time to kick him back with ease. 

“Well, now that is an amusing turn of events.” He murmured to a grimly nodding Judge.

“I think it is time to conclude… We will take a short break before I reach to the final verdict.” The Judge announced glancing at the Prosecutor being escorted to his desk by the overweight officer. 

“Not to worry, we can always get to high court after this son.” Charlotte tried to sooth him stroking his chest. 

“You will have me in a death chamber before the year is over Mother.” He told her backing away from her touch.

"Ms Lopez! Thank you for the new evidence you brought to our attention. Now if you excuse me for a while." His mother seemed still unfazed by his irritation on how she had handled his trial. 

Lucifer smiled at the short Latina before his eyes scanned the room for the Detective. She was nowhere to be seen. The only source of uneasiness was Amenadiel at the opposite first rows nervously watching their mother's approach. 

"When I was in college someone told me that if God ever bothered to talk to me I was free on whether to follow or not, His suggestions." Ella confided getting Lucifer’s brows furrow at her words and finally focus on her. 

"Did He ever…?" He carefully asked her in scepticism on how far back things could have started in this grant plan of His. 

"What?"  

"Talk to you?"

This was the _eternal_ question for the past few millennia. Father had taken up solitude for ages now and his interactions were never direct, so guidance and instructions were usually given in certain quite _unorthodox_ ways. 

"Why do that when He gifted me with the ability to decode life and death for a living?" She hummed her praise when the Detective opened the door with her mother and took again a seat in the last row. 

"You are taking liberties, Ms Lopez. I think I like that." He said giving her a playful nudge on the shoulder. 

“Good because it’s time to take some yourself." Ella told him in a sober tone, she was only using during the crime scene investigations.

A large white, folded in half, envelope with the LAPD credentials on the top right was put in his hands and with an encouraging smile she left Lucifer to drop back to his chair. 

"What do you mean you cannot find it!" His mother's voice rang in a shrill at the courtroom.  
  
As Lucifer had once told Linda, Mother was once quite lovely. But he had to remind himself that this was the same woman who had killed millions to spite their father. The woman who despite her claims, had stood back watching him Fall before losing everything that had ever mattered to him. Now Amenadiel's solemn features showed just how Mother worked. Manipulation was speeding on the highway and the steering wheel had just lost the control of the vehicle. Yes, that was Mother for you. 

* * *

High heels could be heard stomping over the courtroom’s floor before Charlotte took her seat next to Lucifer waiting for the Judge to get settle in hers. The heavy sigh she breathed out when she laid her palm down the table, had Lucifer wondering what was the cause of the thin layer of sweat on her forehead. 

“What exactly my dear brother could not find _Mother_?" He hummed trying to ignore that somewhere behind him the Detective was still keeping her distance from him.

Charlotte studied him for a few seconds debating on whether she should let him know what she was planning for the past days, while he was imprisoned in L.A.’s downtown detention centre. 

"The child." She finally revealed paying close attention to his reaction. His relaxed posture never changed but a small tick on his set jaw was a dead giveaway that something had bothered him. 

“You know fully well Dad made sure-" He started uncomfortable on where this discussion was leading him again. 

"Imbriel had the little abomination why not _you_ as well?" His mother pressed touching his hand before he could secure it in his jacket's pocket. 

“Imbriel was an idiot and Lilith a sentimental fool, made to be humanity's breeding cattle. You saw yourself where their actions led them." Lucifer reminded her bitterly. His brother's actions had led Maze at his doorstep. Exiled, scarred but thankfully never broken enough by divinity. 

"We need the child. If the claims are true-" Charlotte fervently began. 

"Which they are not. I can argue with all the humanity and thus, _you_ a _Goddess_ could at least stop pestering me with the impossibility of that very thought!" Lucifer clipped leaving the conversation hugging heavily between them. 

"The court is back in session. The honourable judge Michelle Tourvel will now deliver the verdict and conclude this trial." The officer notified them with the same bored tone he had opened the court for session. 

“Mr Mornigstar I have to admit that I was surprised when you were listed for a trial in my courtroom.”

“Well, you know me… Always aiming and willing to surprise you, your Honour.” 

Michelle's cheeks blushed a vibrant pink he knew from personal experience that her blush could spread into other regions beneath her court dress robe. Had it really been seven months since he had seduced Linda’s name on a court order to put her as the consultant psychologist on Shaw's case? 

“Yes… It was a pleasant surprise. The prosecution is holding against you only your presence in a crime scene for which according to forensic evidence you cannot be connected with. The murder weapon despite to have gone missing, I have the reports of all the officers of the scene, that it disappeared while you were discussing the murder of Jamie Ostrowski with Detective Decker. Thus, I cannot charge you under the suspicion of vanishing evidence as the _Prosecutor_ wishes.”

“Your Honour!” Tilly whined under the looming presence of the officer next to him. 

“Mr Tilly...  _Prosecutor,_ you have overstepped the court's and your profession's boundaries. This is _not_ a witch hunt! You know fully well that you cannot charge Mr Morningstar over a suspicion. Especially when all the evidence shows no other than Duncan Watts, as the real culprit.”

The man's resentment was obvious. His lips curled upwards showing his clenched teeth. The officer sensing the man getting again off the edge, he put a hand on his shoulder grounding him from attacking Lucifer again. 

“I have no choice but to happily declare Mr Mornigstar innocent on all accounts and lift all the pressed charges against him.” The gavel echoed her decision in the courtroom with Michelle gave him a sultry smile before realising they weren’t alone. 

“Thank you, your Honour.” Lucifer said with a warm smile making the Judge's eyes flicker in appreciation.  

“I told you I would win this case.” Charlotte boasted next to him getting Lucifer snort in amusement.  

"Father must be getting _really_ desperate…” He reprimanded ignoring her scowl. 

Maze's hand sneaked from his shoulder to his neck jiggling his car's keys. Arched over him she placed a kiss on his hair and with a big hug, she let the keys fall on his crotch. 

“Parked right in the front of the building with a full tank.” Always his considerate demon. Rubbing his thumb on her right arm, now rested on his shoulder, he smiled up at her. 

“Let me guess you had a _feeling_?” He jested feeling a lot lighter but not quite freed from worry. 

“I always do.” She told him simply and patted his chest. 

“You must be really disappointed you lost the convertible,  _again_.” He noted getting up, spotting the Detective and her mother talking still seated. He still had some time. 

“One day it _will_ be mine.” She sassed putting on her leather jacket while enjoying the once again uncomfortable Prosecutor.  

“Dream on Mazikeen. And don’t you _ever_ disrespect me again.” He leaned in her ear stressing the words, hand tightening on her wrist.  

“Lucifer!” A familiar female voice greeted him making him narrow his eyes and release Mase's wrist. 

“Penelope!” He greeted back with an equal enthusiasm not missing the Detective following right behind her mother. 

Lucifer could see the quivering of her libs had not stopped, not that her stumbling made it any easier. Her lips were red and puffy by the continuous chewing and her eyes were now reminded him some of the most beautiful sunsets of blue and red, he had ever seen during his long existence. Where he had expected to see relief in her eyes, he was detecting agony. Where she has expected to see glee in his, she was seeing confusion.

“I knew this was all a misunderstanding.” Penelope affirmed her belief with confidence. 

The Detective's eyes skewed over his face. Their eyes met confessing a knowledge that should have carried a different verdict. 

“Justice has its faults.” He told Penelope but his reply was given to the untold questions in the Detective’s eyes. 

“I was wondering if you could help me with something.” Penelope continued opening her bag searching for something. 

“For you my dear Mama-Decker anything. Name your deal and you will have it.” Lucifer promised, watching Linda and Amenadiel approaching his way. There was another woman who deserved the Devil's IOU. 

“I’m more interested in this.” She told him handing him a sticky paper. 

There was nothing special about what he was now holding. Just a wrinkled glossy paper wrapped in two with a big red stain at one of its corners.

“What is this?” He asked curiously unfolding it while grimacing at the stickiness.  

“I hoped you could tell me.” Penelope told him grasping her daughter by the elbow and forcing her to come closer to him. 

Confusion set on his features at the right corner of the photograph where he was wearing an awful shirt while having drinking who knows where. The photograph was old but it had also been mistreated. Every crease spoke of anguish and hesitation when this piece of paper was handled in the past.

Tracing his face on the photo, the strands of gold hair at the other side stopped his finger mid-way from the face he had known for over a year now. That one was younger. Covered by a brace he had felt under his very fingertips years ago. Suddenly the smooth surface of the picture could not stop the anticipation of his skin to feel the roughness of the bandages on the paper. 

“Brother you got out of this as always didn’t you?” The heavy hand on his shoulder made him crumble under the sudden load. Two strong hands held him upwards standing as his legs failed to carry his weight anymore.

“Did you know?” Lucifer whispered, eyes training on his brother.

“Amenadiel, did you _know_?” He demanded again his hand closing more firmly around Amenadiel's forearm trying to find the strength to command his body again. 

“Know what?” He asked him stealing a quick glance at _her_. 

“You are lying. You _did_ know.” He muttered fear setting on the pit of his stomach.  

“Father sent me. Lucifer _calm down,_ not in front of them!” His brother hissed and Lucifer’s legs finally gave out, landing him on the chair behind him. 

“Amenadiel the second, I believe?” Penelope guessed breathless drawn by his brother’s presence. 

“What?” Both brothers asked simultaneously.   

“I- I think I knew your father.” The Detective's mother said leaving little room for uncertainty. 

"Believe me, you do.” Lucifer confirmed thumb brushing over _her_ face on the photograph. 

“They are brothers Mom.” She explained to her mother slowly, still captivated by the way Lucifer was responding to what he was holding. 

“Brothers? I don’t know about Lucifer but your father got me through one of my darkest hours.” Lucifer's eyes shoot up widening, ears perking. 

“Please _do_ explain. It’s the trend of the day after all…” He seethed snatching his brother's pants from attempting to walk away. 

“His, _your_ father told me I would be blessed with a child and indeed look what God gave me.” She beamed widely at the two men. 

“Mom thinks it was a _miracle_ …” The Detective explained nervously at Penelope's conviction over that story. 

“A miracle... It was _you_. The whole time. You played me like a fiddle. Both of you.” He pointed Amenadiel and the Detective who instantly took a step back at his unleashed anger. 

“Lucifer we have to talk.” She tried to reason with him with no avail. 

“Did you know? This whole bloody time did you know?” He shouted turning quite a few heads towards their way and Linda tried to put an arm on his shoulder to pacify him. Pushing Linda away he stood up shaking by the effort it took in _her_ presence. 

“Did you?” she replied hotly finally returning to the fierce personality Lucifer knew. 

“That you were a pawn in my Father’s plan? I just had the _displeasure_ of finding that out!” He spat back with the photograph he was once holding gently, now forgotten in his tightly closed fist. 

“How could…. I thought I knew you… I thought you were incapable of… Where do I even _begin_!” She quavered hitting his stern which had him backing down on the chair again breathless. 

“Pawn!” He croaked covering his mouth unable to speak anymore.

“Murderer.” She whispered instantly regretting the betrayal she saw shining in his eyes. 

The vibration in her pocket gave her the excuse to avert her eyes from his hardened features. 

“Decker. From where?” She questioned looking back at Lucifer who nodded to himself and standing up he refused any kind of help from his brother or his therapist. 

“Lucifer see the bright side, you are free!” Linda tried again to sooth him back into logical thinking and action. 

“Not now Doctor! Major breakthrough in progress.” Lucifer dismissed her standing with his back towards her looking at the door of the courtroom. 

“What?” Chloe's attention diverted to the call nudging her mother to stop trying to get Amenadiel's attention. The tall man was growing uncomfortable by the second she had claimed to know his father. 

“Dan is where? What do you mean he is unresponsive? He is a detective what could shock him? _Traumatise_ him?” She demanded to know, turning her body and trying to gravitate herself away from Lucifer’s presence. 

"Lucifer?" Linda asked hearing the exchange the Detective had through the phone. With an affirmative nod, he saw his Doctor shake her hand and reaching for the Detective’s phone. 

“Chloe give me the phone.” Linda never asked for it but snatched it from her bare hands. 

“Doctor Linda Martin, Psychologist. I want you to follow my instructions. The man you have in your hands is _my_ client and he is in need of special treatment." She spoke clearly urging Chloe to not ask any questions just yet. 

“Maze help me here." Linda ushered Maze to the nearest chair and started giving the appropriate instructions.   

Chloe watched around the now deserted courtroom. Charlotte had just finished signing Lucifer's release but he was nowhere to be found.  

“Where is Lucifer?” She asked the rest of the group but no one was able to give her an answer. 

* * *

The air was definitely different outside the courtroom. It was actually breathable. Taking a big breath Lucifer placed his palms on the wall and dropped his head in between his spread arms. His temples were throbbing with the rush of his newfound rising blood pressure.

_‘Damn her proximity! Damn, damn..’_

“Damn!” Racking his hair though his fingers, he kicked the wall cursing at the pain shooting up his leg by the impact. Fuming he started loosing his tie as he kicked his shoes off.

“You shouldn’t be doing that!” A stern voice chided him from the closest bench.

“Well, what will become of me?” Lucifer mocked at the absurdity of this situation.

Wearing cheap clothes had rubbed his skin raw while the Detective was in the courtroom. Throwing the tie on the floor he challenged the disapproving pair of dark eyes who watched carefully his every move.

“You never came back home.” Her tone was forlorn and accusing and why shouldn’t it be? He had failed in so many things and making it home had always been difficult for him.

Seated on a bench, legs crossed under her small body was no other but the little gamin. Feeling the cold floor on his feet he walked towards her before dropping kneeling to her level.

He was not sure what he was expecting to find there. The child had not changed in the span of the past few minutes. Regardless of what Dan’s claims were and _Perth_ , there was no newfound appreciation for the child. Beatrice was still small for her age, with a dark complexion and a disturbing toothy grin.

“No… I suppose I failed to make it back.” He replied still trying to see what so many had already accepted.

The little human in front of him held nothing divine, there was no essence of sanctity or stench of brimstone. There had never been. Just suspiciously sticky fingers from this morning’s breakfast jam and two pigtails carefully caught by some frivolous colourful elastic bands.

“Were you in trouble?” The girl questioned with a vulnerable innocence Lucifer had never heard before.

Her guarded eyes and the way she played nervously with her fingers expressed her reservation. Something she never had around him. He could say he was almost disappointed about not having to avoid one of her hugs by now.

“Not really, no. But I think I might be soon. Care for a drive, Beatrice?” Extending his arm he took her still covered with the sticky residue small one and helped her to get to her feet.

Her eyes darted to the courtroom’s closed door and blinking, her forehead creased making her look far older than of her mere eight years on this Earth.

“Grandma said I should stay here but she has been in there for ages.”

She told him chewing her upper lip much like her mother had done on the stand an hour ago. That small and mostly unnoticeable similarity seemed to placate his borderline raging headache since the delivered verdict. There was a Decker in there.

“I think it will be okay for just this once if I got you. What do you say?” 

Giving her a tender smile he extended his hand again for her little one. No charms were needed between them. Trust would do for now. He just had to disapprove what Heaven and Earth were so set on believing at the moment.

Comradely she took it before dragging him towards the exit. That child had no self-preservation what-so-ever.

“Okay!” She chimed and when they were outside the courthouse she was the first to spot the Corvette. It was parked right in front of the sidewalk with a folded ticket already tucked underneath the window wiper.

“Red zone, no parking and a handicapped space… $505? Fuck you Maze!” He grumbled crumpling the paper before throwing it in the glove compartment.

The child was looking at him wide-eyed but immensely amused by his reaction. Opening the door for her she put her left foot inside before she proceeded to tie her shoe’s laces.

“Don’t do that!” Lucifer cried when her shoe grazed the car’s black leather seat. Snatching her small body he quickly put her on the top of the car’s trunk compartment.

“I had this replaced just a year ago child! Do you know how expensive that was?” He mumbled trying to inspect how he could resolve this. Tentatively he took the laces in both his hands and raising Beatrice’s leg higher he proceeded on trying to tie it.

“Stop jiggling!” Still fighting with the laces, he gave out a sigh at the sight of the now madly giggling girl. Ireful by her constant movements, he entrapped the shoe between her body and his stomach.

“That’s better.” Lucifer muttered at the tied tightly the laces. Catching the squirming by laughter child, he placed her back on the pavement glancing nervously back at the courthouse. They still had not realised he was gone.

“Lucifer how do you put this seatbelt ?” Trixie asked breathlessly but beaming up at him.

He was immortal but the child was not. Well, of course, she wasn’t!Her hands had been cold by the chilly air and he could see her shivering slightly at every passing breeze. Taking off his jacket, Lucifer took the startled child by her arms trying to wrap it as snuggly as he could around her body. Considering their frames difference it thankfully proved to be an easy task.

When she was finally seated on the passenger’s seat he could see her still battling to put on the seatbelt. A thing he had never used before and he was clueless on how to put together. 

“Right. Hands up!” Lucifer commanded and started unbuttoning his white shirt.

“Lucifer what are you doing?” The girl asked him curiously when he took off the shirt and tied it with a large knot, around her belly and the car seat.

“I think I’m kidnapping you.” He told her honestly and checked the knot.

When he was satisfied with the result he realised how many women had stopped to watch the scene. By their faces, there was a prominence of tender awe blended with lust in his audience, which made him want to get behind the wheel as fast as possible. 

“Okay. Can I have chocolate cake tonight?” Her undisturbed mood by the dreadful news was puzzling. Lucifer would have expected something more from the child. Fear, doubt, a look of worry and betrayal. On the contrary, her mood had been affected only for the best.

“No resemblance there, therefore, I still doubt the allegations of spawning you.” He told her before turning the key in the engine. Looking her from top to bottom she appeared to be warm enough and secure in her seat.

“Lucifer you are being silly…” Trixie deadpanned and reached to tune the radio to her favourite station.

“Then again that sounds a lot like something your mother would have said… The world can have only one Devil but Deckers will never be enough.”

Making a U-turn he caught the glimpse of the Detective, getting out of the court furiously looking up and down the street before sporting him. She had been too late.

 

* * *

 

 _To be Continued..._  

* * *

  

Songs Used For this Entry:

[We All Fall Down - The Rigs ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHq8e_D_euc)

I absolutely love this song. I think it captures this chapter so well. :) 

 _'Wait, I know it's been a long road_  
_Prodigals don't always come home but I'll be alright_  
_Wait, I'm between shadows and sunlight'_

 _'Mother, can you lend me your tears_  
_'Cause mine have dried from the heat of these fears_  
_Father, can you give me your heart_  
_'Cause I need to feel the blood of home near_  
_Just ashes on the ground.'_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) My first comment here is that I wanted to stay true on Lucifer's reaction. Although I know that him leaving in 2x13 was not exactly because of finding out about Chloe but because he had a resolve to finish some business, I wanted him to run away for a while. But finding Trixie on his way made some of his plans change... 
> 
> To some readers, the characters might seem erratic on their decisions and their shifting moods but weren't they just like that since the very beginning? What do you think?
> 
> 2) In real life would you accept the truth? As I said since chapter one, this fanfic is not based on magical resolutions. In a sense, I'm using Chloe's logic to write this story and hopefully when you read the big twist (which one though?) you will feel satisfied and robbed.
> 
> 3) Yes, we all know that it could have been better.


	15. I Need the Eggs, Annie Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of I Need the Eggs, Annie Hall: 
> 
> With Lucifer and Trixie gone the rest of the company must find a way to track him down yet this time Lucifer does not want to be found. Chloe is feeling lost, Maze has to confront her past memories while Linda tries to treat Dan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings aside from mentioning self-amputation and murder. 
> 
> This is one of the longest chapters since this story began. 
> 
> It has been edited once. I apologise for any mistakes. They are all mine, I assure you.

* * *

 

 Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**I Need the Eggs, Annie Hall**

 

**30th of December, 2016 14:57 PM**

**Los Angeles Court House, Downtown L.A.**

 

“Where is Lucifer?” Chloe asked the rest of the group but no one was able to give her an answer. 

The courtroom was empty with only familiar faces surrounding her. Ch could feel their eyes on her as she searched with her eyes for a clue on where Lucifer had disappeared again. He had the tendency to disappear when a case was a bore or worse when he wanted to avoid an honest conversation with her. She would guess that he was now seeking the second. Although after over three days of detainment with an ambiguous trial outcome looming over him, she had expected him to get out of the courtroom and into the nearest bar as soon as possible. Chloe, after all, had just given him one more reason to do so. The only problem was that she had actively wanted to hurt him, throw him into the same pit of confusion and hopelessness she was currently in.

“Right…” She breathed out, trying to grasp the last threads of logic and sanity this day’s events had caused her to question.

“Well this was a pleasure but if you don’t mind.” Charlotte closed her briefcase clasps and nodded sharply to Amenadiel to follow. He bowed slightly his head and avoiding as much he could Penelope he hurried to follow the sour faced woman.

Tugging her clothes to smooth the invisible wrinkles Chloe gave a small smile to her mother. Penelope rubbed her shoulder soothingly and taking a big breath she encouraged her to join Linda and Maze who were still talking animatedly with the other side of the line.

“They will get Dan to the apartment as soon as they can.” Maze filled her in, twisting the fabric of her jacket’s sleeve edges in frustration.

“We will have to be there Maze. Just what was _he_ thinking?” Linda admonished gathering her purse quickly.

“Like always, he wasn’t” Chloe muttered bitterly worrying the piece of paper which held all her questions since the trial had begun.

She still could not accept the majority of the explanations she had come to face when Lucifer had testified. Chloe refused to believe what was mocking her out in the open. The impossibility of everything she had heard was settling heavily in her stomach with the past and the present feeling equally unreal. Frowning she stared at her mobile still at Linda’s hands and back at her mother.

“Mom… Where is Trixie?” She carefully inquired to know. With Dan unavailable for God only knew how long, where had her mother left her daughter?

“She is sitting right outside… A trial for murder was not a place for a child.” Penelope reasoned turning to Linda for support. When she looked at her with the same gobsmacked expression her daughter was giving her, she wondered how fallible her plan had really been.

“And a court corridors are?” Chloe screeched running to the courtroom’s door.

“I gave her my phone! She knows how to call Uber, would you think she would n-|

“She is eight!” She yelled at Penny, her voice echoing in the room making Linda and Maze’s steps flatter on their pursuit to calm her down.

Opening the door she scanned the corridor up and down and sure enough, Trixie was nowhere to be found. Palming her forehead her eyes darted again around the almost empty space. She could feel her breathing accelerate, her hands becoming clammy. Spotting Charlotte at the far end of the corridor she run to the tall man and grabbed his arm.

“Have you seen Trixie?” Chloe asked pleading. What had possessed her mother to leave an eight-year-old alone, in a place where obviously murderers walked out free? She had still to evaluate her emotions on Lucifer’s trial verdict but the issue remained. Trixie was missing. Again!

“The child?” Charlotte asked with a keen but wary interest.

“I told you…” Amenadiel began but stopped when Chloe tightened her grasp on his arm turning his focus again back to her.

“You have lost the child? Lucifer’s child?” Charlotte pressed, her complexion paling a few degrees lighter than Chloe had ever seen her salon-tanned skin ever being.

An unsettling look passed between the older woman and Amenadiel. Dropping her hand from his arm she took a few steps backwards crashing on Maze who steadied her.

“What have you done?” Chloe heard Maze whisper next to her, to Amenadiel who visibly stiffened in the woman’s near accusation.

“Nothing of that sort, I assure you.” He snapped remembering exactly on what she was referring.

“Children!” Charlotte warned mainly Maze who gave her look of disdain and bubbling anger.

Not wasting any more time Chloe raced down the hall searching for the unmistakable impressive height of Lucifer or her daughter's constant blabbering when she was with him. She was convinced he couldn’t have gone too far without cash or a car.

_‘The car…’_

Maze had tossed him the keys just after the verdict was out. Pushing people out of her way, breathless she finally made it to the stairs of the courthouse’s entrance. For a fleeting moment, she saw his brown eyes from afar looking at her unapologetically before focusing on the road ahead and speeding up. If she had not been shocked by his cold steely gaze, clear and chilling even from that distance, she certainly was at by shirtless state.

* * *

 

Maze found Chloe sitting on the granite steps of the courthouse looking at the far end of the road. Her hands digging in her small frame trying to keep herself together. The corvette was missing and Maze had a pretty good idea what her roommate had just witnessed. Lucifer had indeed taken the child. ' _Good_.'

“Get up, Decker!” She barked at the unmoving woman. Chloe was not responding well to cuddling when she was in this level of distress and Maze didn’t have the stomach to comfort a human. _Any_ human.

“He took her. He… He doesn’t even _like_ children Maze!” From catatonic to hysterical was an amazing sight to see even for a self-proclaimed demon.

Lifting Chloe with more force than she had intended, Maze ignored the curious glances towards them and straightened her clothes like Maze had done for Lucifer for years. Order had provided some considerable comfort for him and this seemed to be working with humans as well if the washed dishes were any inclination by Chloe’s satisfaction when Maze decided to wash them.

“Did you find the Trixie?” Linda exclaimed from behind them followed by a grey looking Penelope.

“Amanadiel and Charlotte?” Maze asked her and Linda shook her head negatively. For the second time that day, Maze was thankful for Lucifer having gotten the child far away for the time being. Still, the issue of a wrecked woman by her side persisted.

Giving Linda a pointed look she pushed Chloe towards the grimacing Doctor.

“Chloe, have you tracked him down?” Linda carefully asked.

“His phone’s GPS and the car’s tracker are both deactivated.” Her voice was hollow. She had not chased after him in hopes, no assurance, that she would be able to track him down quickly, only to realise that both trackers were switched off.

“If he doesn’t want to be found he won’t be.” Maze reasoned earning a hard stare from Linda.

“Look, knowing his family and what they know about Trixie, believe me, it’s for the best no one knows where they are.” She tried to explain the explosive situation an offspring of Lucifer might have set equally for Heaven and Hell.

“She is eight!” Chloe screeched again as if it was an explanation by itself.

“And she can handle Lucifer.” Maze said matter-of-factly.

Taking Chloe by the shoulders with Linda’s help Maze guided her in her car, before fishing the car keys from the stumbling woman’s jean pocket. In the car, Chloe leaned to Linda for the comfort Maze was unable and frankly unwilling to give. Turning the key in the engine Maze saw Chloe slowly shake the haze she was in.

“My mother?” She asked Maze who had already cut through the traffic and made it to the main lane but keeping her speeding to a comfortable level for the women in the back seat.

“She knows the way back.” Maze dismissed surprised when Chloe didn’t protest, missing the tightening of Linda’s hand on Chloe’s forearm

“The situation is tense enough with Dan coming over. I took the liberty to advise your Mother to stay at her place for now with the promise to call her.” Linda explained rubbing the spot on Chloe’s arm she had grabbed a bit too forcefully before trying to keep demons and humans alike in a comfortable silence.

The road was packed at most central venues which had Maze shouting insults to whoever forced her to slow down. Chloe could feel the car moving from time to time between high bumps and low smooth surfaces. Her eyes had returned to being unclear and shortsighted while she lost herself in her thoughts and in Linda’s embrace. The shouts were increased and by the force of back wheels, she guessed they had just climbed on the curb again. Focusing on outside her window she frowned when she saw the window displays way too close to her car’s window.

“Maze off the pavement!” Linda shouted watching right in front of their crazy cruise, a blanched elderly couple frozen on the spot.

“They can move.” Maze clipped pressing the gas while the man held his heart and the woman next to him for dear life.

“Maze!” Chloe and Linda yelled just in time for the car to take a sharp turn into an empty alley to their right.

“I stand my ground. They would have moved.” Maze muttered taking a few more turns before slowing down and taking the usual five-minute drive to their shared apartment.

“They were probably eighty Maze!” Chloe hotly reprimanded hitting the wire behind the driver’s seat.

“She is _eight_ Maze, they are _eighty_ Maze. Pick an age, Decker!” Maze mocked and parked the car with two smooth turns of the wheel right in front of their apartment's complex building.

“What is wrong with her?” Chloe asked out loud, Trixie slipping from her current thoughts for a while.

“You would neeeeever believe me.” Linda mumbled still having a death grip on the car’s door handle.

 

* * *

The mantra in her head was repeating over and over that Lucifer was not Malcolm. Lucifer had shown anger and frustration over several of their cases but was never a malicious man. Her daughter had a great relationship with him, although Chloe knew that Lucifer did not share her sentiments. So what would motivate a man who had bluntly told her he never saw the point of procreation and was fidgeting away from her daughter’s affection, want from Trixie? Granted he had ownership issues over peculiar objects but still what would a child offer him?

“Chloe giving Lucifer space with Trixie doesn’t make you weak.” Linda spoke softly next to her.

“Why am I not out there searching for her?” She murmured with guilt swallowing whole. Her inability to act had come as a shock to her always level-headed planning.

Linda stopped walking preventing Chloe from taking another step towards the building complex.

“Because you trust him. Because you know that no matter what has transpassed between the two of you, he would _never_ hurt Trixie.” Linda told her sternly wanting to shake Chloe out of her shocked stupor over Trixie’s kidnapping. Knowing Lucifer’s family, the Doctor knew how vital was for the little girl to disappear for the time being.

“Do I really?” She questioned mostly herself turning to the path towards the main entrance of the complex.

“Oh, no…” Linda’s breath hitched, placing a hand to her tremoring lips.

“Exactly I-” Chloe's words died on her lips.

At the entrance of the complex, a gruff lean man was standing his ground against a hand twitching Maze. Her sneer didn’t seem to appease the fifty-something old man. He huffed in annoyance thrusting a clipboard on her chest.

“Look, lady, I’m doing you a favour here. Just sign this and I’ll be out of your hair.” He told her offering her a pen.

“Humans.” Chloe heard Maze grumbled in disgust before scribbling quickly on the paper and practically throwing it back to the man who instantly appeared to be in a much better mood.

“ ‘ello ladies!” He whistled his way between them moving away from the previously unnoticed by Chloe, occupied corner under the doorbell panel.

“Is that?” Chloe asked at a grim nodding Maze.

Curled as much as his long body would allow it, there was Dan expelling every breath in a painful huff as if each and every one pained him. His eyes were wide, darting around with a trail of dried blood marring the right side of his forehead, crusting on his right eye’s lashes. The brilliant baby-blue eyes, full of mirth which Chloe was familiar with, were now overly bright from the dampness that was still apparent on his cheeks.

“He really did a number on him.” Maze examined the man’s posture on the ground trying to find the best way to get him up and mobile.

“At least I was seating at the time.” Linda sighed at the sight of the uncontrollably shaking man.

Chloe touched Dan’s shoulder and he drew back whimpering hiding his face on his crossed arms. Gripping his leather jacket he pressed his elbows close to his body in at attempt to blend with the wall he was firmly attached to.

“Lucifer did this?” Chloe wondered out loud brushing some of the dirty bloody hair back to see how bad was his head wound, eliciting a pitiful whimper from the man.

Jimmy Barnes, Josh Bryant, Lindsay Jolson what did they all have in common early in her partnership with Lucifer? They were all found as incoherently mumbling messes and were committed to psychiatric institutions instead of going to jail. Lucifer’s ability to draw out their utmost desires appeared to be insignificant on what he was able to plant in their heads if he determined them to be guilty.

“Lucifer is not known for lashing out this kind of punishment Decker. Oh, it’s his work all right, but he must have seen something for the pretty boy here to deserve this.” Maze contemplated the possibilities silently before grabbing the man and dragging him towards their shared apartment.

“Wait he is-“ Chloe protested before she was yanked back from Linda who gestured her to stop talking. Dan was not fighting Maze so for all they knew it was perhaps their only chance before he bolted to lock himself somewhere he would consider being safe.

Without waiting for any suggestions Maze hauled the man up the stairs of their apartment with several grunts of pain escaping Dan. Kicking the door of her bedroom she raised the previously limp body just enough from the ground to drop him on her bed, from where he made no move to get away.

“You have to run!” Dan stuttered the words at Maze who got comfortable at her suspending swing.

Maze’s brows furrowed and she grinned when Linda finally made it to her room. All the right decorations were in place along with some blacklisted items Chloe had banned from ever leaving this room.

“Maze… That’s an interesting choice.” Linda praised the Demon for her decorations abilities, causing Chloe to shake her head in exasperation over the lost minutes the “girls night out” Lucifer had set her with a few months ago had saddled her with. A sex-crazed roommate. 

“And the swing is…” Linda trailed not finding the appropriate words while her face morphed to an awkward expression.

“A gift from Lucifer three years ago.” She winked at her and Chloe closing her eyes bumped her forehead on the wooden frame of the door.

“Run!” Dan begged her again, his eyes clearing from the dampness and coherence making its way back slowly to his speech and train of thought.

“If there is something I learned next to him, all these years, is that you run from Lucifer Morningstar only if you are guilty. It never works by the way... What did you do Danny-boy?” Maze asked him curious on what would be that severe for her master to unveil his damned form to a man who had come to borderline like these days.

“You mean what _we_ did.” Dan whispered, eyes darting to Chloe before turning downcast in guilt.

“Did you tell him about…?” Maze twisted the ropes of the swing making them creak.

He shook his head violently on the pillow. Linda sat behind him trying to offer as much comfort as she could rubbing his back noting that Chloe was handling the situation better now. 

“He said he could _smell_ it.” He said in anguish, muscles tightening under Linda’s hands.

“A year ago I would be delighted about this but now?”

Sighing Maze let herself being swung lightly, trying to gather her thoughts over Lucifer using a sense he had never used on Earth before. It had taken him months to learn to tune it off and since then he appeared to completely ignore how far sin ran into a human soul.

“Are you going to tell me what Lucifer found out?” Chloe asked carefully Maze than Dan, who refused to acknowledge her presence.

“The Russian Mafia was more than happy to know where to find the Deputy after the trial. Organised crime doesn’t take well taking out one of their own the way Warden Smith did.” Maze simply explained no longer feeling the gleeful feeling of helping her roommate as she did weeks ago. Realisation was a heavy burden once it struck you full force.

“And you tipped them off.” Chloe concluded filling the blanks while letting her back, resting on the door frame, slide her safely on the floor.

“Did Lucifer know?” She asked her voice emotionless crossing her hands protectively around her torso.

“He loves punishment but abhors such practices. For Lucifer, Dan and I have as much blood on our hands as the ones who actually killed him.” She explained to a thickly swallowing Chloe.

“He took the feathers and then he showed me.” Dan grimaced at the memory missing Maze's sudden eye glint. 

“I figured as much.” Linda consoled him tightening her embrace on him a little more, knowing exactly what he had lived through. Admittedly though he was taking it much better than she originally had, sans the head bump that is.

“You are not the only one who knows here Dan. All you need to know is that he is not dangerous. He did the worst he could do to you and now it’s over.” She said in a calming voice making him relax under her.

“Actually-“ Maze began only to be silenced by Linda’s glare. Raising her palms in defeat she looked at her roommate still trying to take in the events of the day.

“I know and I’m still here, so is Maze.” She told him watching his previously ashen face return little by little to a healthier pink.

“I knew him for months before I learned of what he was really capable of and yet, he still remained the same old Lucifer. Sarcastic, a narcissist, a tormented soul at best.” Linda continued although her words were targeted on Chloe as well, who was hanging from her lips.

Chloe was still not convinced that her daughter was one hundred percent safe with Lucifer but she would kid herself if she didn’t admit that her trust on him, was still deeply rooted in her very soul, despite the trial or the immediate kidnapping of their child. _Their_ child. _His_ child.

“Maze?” Chloe interrupted Linda with a question she had never dared ask before. One she had wanted to ask for a month now.

“How did you meet Lucifer? Was he always so... _Him_?”

“When I met Lucifer for the first time… It was aeons ago. I was still a child back then and he was my brother’s uncle.” Her swinging intensified and her body relaxed tangled within the leather ropes.

“He liked to come and talk to my mother after Briadach was born. They would spend _hours_ talking. About humanity, sin, desires and he would always leave smiling.” A slight smile appeared on her face remembering how different Samael was from the Lucifer she had met years later, after his Fall.

“Was he sleeping with your mother?” Linda wondered with avid interest and Maze let out a subdued laughter.

“Oh no… Lucifer back then… Touching him was a hard limit, not even his Father could do that. Everyone talked about his obsession to not let anyone touch him. Some said he was burning hot to the touch even at that point in time and he didn’t like sharing that warmth with anyone.” Her movements became languid with only her right leg keeping up with the task of making the swing sway.

“Soon Briadach grew to a young boy with a lot of anger simmering near the surface inside him. Then when his father, Lucifer’s brother, wanted to evict Mother and the rest of us we formulated a plan…” Maze’s stilled at that memory her eyes darkening.

“What did you do?” The Doctor asked behind Dan’s sluggish body. The exertion of his panic mode had left him exhausted and now near dozing off.

“We knew that only a  _family_  member could harm another so… Briadach cut his left pinky.” Scrubbing her palm over her left cheek, she let out a sigh and continued with the story.

“It wasn’t much but even so, it was just enough to sharpen it and attach it to the edge of a steel blade.” Maze told them her features betraying the pain she was feeling over that particular memory.

“What did you do Maze.” Chloe asked gently this time, knowing fully well that there would be no one to prevent what it had already been done. She had lived through these moments of horrifying confessions more times than she would be willing to remember or admit. 

“Imbrael was always so… He had called him his sin, an abomination which he had refused to have any contact with, much less acknowledge.” Her voice lost its power and she turned to meet Linda’s eyes.

“It drove mother mad. She had thousands of children and had bedded an equal number of partners but she was in love with him.” She spatted with revulsion trying to explain her actions.

“Briadach could not bear the constant rejection or sharing mother’s love with the one who had sired him. The one who wanted us far away from the Silver City.” Turning the swing for her to look outside the window, Maze could remember that night vividly. The shadows, the pleas from both sides, his rejection to the very end. Imbrael was an obstacle at that time. If they only had known the wild torrent that awaited them behind that dam called Imbrael, when he was out of the way.

“He killed Imbrael.” Chloe guessed what Maze could not speak openly about. A confession would take them nowhere. Chloe had known that both Lucifer and Maze carried the burden of a troublesome past, but the more she learned about him the more understood his constant need for emotional validation.

“Lucifer was devastated but his siblings wanted blood in retribution. Ironic if you think what _angels_ should stand for.” Squeezing her eyes shut she fooled herself that it was only the brightness of the setting sun that made them burn and water.

“He saved us from the arranged execution but mother was now exiled with all her children and Briadach had killed the one she loved. He never got to her good graces ever since. He tried… but…” Her voice died in her throat. Both of them were cast away to rear themselves while a war was looming in the distance.

“Like you, it was never the same. And Lucifer?” Linda inquired again trying not to push more than she had to. Maze was still unpredictable and heavily relied on violence to express her bottled up feelings, usually with disastrous results.

“He saw where rejection would lead. He tried to persuade his Father that a change should be done but He turned a deaf ear. His Mother became erratic with Father’s new _hobby_ and then all Hell… Well, Hell was created.” Maze stated simply taking a big breath and willing her quivering lip to stop altering the pronunciation of the words she spoke.

“Lucifer was horrified how a child he was so fond of could resort to murder. How the parent who claimed to love him turned His back to his valid reasoning.” Gathering her loose leg closed her torso, Maze let the swing start to twirl around as uncoordinated as she felt.

“How his Father and your mother turned against their children. How love had an expiration date.” Linda finished for her, bringing back to Maze memories of the first days of Hell.

Her siblings had been unmerciful. When you had lost mother’s favour you were an outcast. Blood didn’t matter anymore. Raising her hand to her unblemished to the human flesh, but rotten and slimy to the touch cheek. She traced what her Fall had cost her.

“From that point, love was a dangerous thing to behold or express. Not that Lucifer had expressed anything of that short. He was always content on being alone. Love just leads to pain, murder and betrayal. _His_ words, not mine.” She finished trying to cover her body with her hands, cocoon herself away from their stares.

“Not always…” Chloe and Linda whispered together while Chloe rubbed her fingers in agitation.

“See where it got him Linda and tell me it isn’t so.” Holding the therapist's eyes Maze saw Linda shaking her head and resigning on Maze’s reasoning for now. She had a point, one that predated humanity itself.

 

* * *

The bleak golden sundown light, passing through the light curtains, offered little consolation to the occupants of the room. A day was coming to an end with more losses than gains. The soft snores from Dan reminded Chloe how much time really had passed since they were had been together in the same room while sleeping. 

Linda was over him lazily brushing his neck's hair in a way that had Chloe believe it was more for the Doctor’s comfort than his. Turning her head back to the window Chloe saw Maze gazing outside to the window still entangled in the ropes of the swing. Feeling the stress taking her apart piece by piece, she closed her eyes and joined the rest to this silent wake.

Rhythmically she tapped her breastbone over her heart, as she had done to Trixie’s back as a baby to lull her to sleep. The repetitive taps offered her a focus to her thoughts, a time to take each memory for what it was, infused with all the new information she had been bombarded with in the last couple of days. Their first meeting was in LUX. He had joked around, stayed dedicated to Delilah’s loss to the very end and in his way had delivered his punishment, to Jimmy Burns.

She had sought him out after that case, trying to figure out what made him tick. That night she had visited LUX dressed in black, content to watch him from afar. Her wounded arm secured in a sling by a shooting incident which still baffled her. She had headed to the lounge area to hide in the shadows and he had spotted her instantly. Out of all his nonsensical claims he had a good perception of people, her included.

Chloe had seen something she truly desired that night and up to this day, she didn’t know what to do about it. Chloe had claimed to need the eggs and yet she knew that regardless of not pursuing a relationship with him, her growing feelings for her aloof partner were no less powerful or worthwhile. They were no less real just because they never ended up together in bed or in a relationship. Which led her to that night in Perth.

Looking back she had spent her entire marriage chasing that night. Her marriage with Dan had been solid and comfortable. Love had certainly existed at some point down that road before it had faded to an easy relationship which was constantly disturbed only by his prolonged absences. Opening her eyes she saw Dan and Linda resting on Maze’s bed peacefully and she tried to remember when the first crack in their marriage had appeared. Whether these multiplying cracks had always existed, while she was trying to convince herself that stability and understanding could make a relationship between spouses work.

Stretching her stiff legs to the cold floor Chloe rolled her neck and shoulders grimacing at the rigidity of her back muscles. Taking a big breath she quietly got up from the floor with a lingering last glance at the dozing people in the room. Switching on the lights in the living room and the kitchen she wondered where the whole day had gone. It was almost six in the afternoon and the sun was almost completely gone.

Mechanically she reached for the electric cattle and filled it with water. A coffee was not a smart choice and a hot chocolate, not an option anymore. Lucifer and Trixie had raided the cupboard every day for the past month of all the cocoa boxes and chocolate mixes. She was sure there was a hidden stash somewhere but she was too tired to search for it now. Opening the cupboard she gave a bittersweet smile to the sight.

“Damn you…” Chloe whispered holding the sink edges to prevent her body from collapsing fists landing on the cold melamine.

Stacked in the far left of the cupboard and taking some considerable space, were her daughter’s and Lucifer’s favourite tea varieties. That man had hooked Trixie into tea, thus making her caffeine consumption and energy levels skyrocket much to Chloe’s chagrin.

“So is it green tea jasmine or Earl Grey, asshole?” She murmured taking out the large glass containers.

Taking a sniff from both she decided on the earl grey hoping that a scoop of the leaf tea would provide her with a strong beverage. Glaring at the neatly placed sugar cubes box in the cupboard when she put back the tea, she put a spoonful of honey in her cup and willed herself to forgo the almond milk cream in the fridge. He would never admit it, but during his stay for the holidays, he had adapted several tastes of his to match her own. The only thing he refused to give up was the loaded with sugar confectionery goodies, much to her dismay and Trixie’s delight.

He was a good man. Who happened to have kidnapped her daughter. Which coincidently was his as well. By a night she still remembered quite fondly despite wishing for a longer performance. A man who had killed his brother, according to the testimonies, for her preserving safety from his family. Wasn’t this man the Lucifer she knew? The adorable quirky and clueless one? The one who was always there, who took her daughter to her room when she had fallen asleep on the couch? The man who always had her back. Her partner. Her Lucifer. She had trusted him with her life and tonight she would find the will to extend that trust for her daughter’s wellbeing as well. She had to, there was no other alternative until he resurfaced.

The kettle chimed at the same time with the front door’s bell. Chloe’s head turned sharply to the sound and let out a pained groan. Rubbing her neck she sped to open the door, with her right leg already anticipating in a thrill to come to contact with Lucifer’s groin. Violently!

 **“You cretinous moron!”** She yelled yanking the front door open and the man behind it jumped instantly back covering his groin.

“You told us before New Year’s eve! It’s the 30th! See?” The overly orange tanned bulky man squeaked holding out a receipt.

“Who are you?” She demanded, getting out of the apartment to check left and right for any sight of Lucifer or her daughter, when her eyes landed on a large flat box laying at the left side of her threshold.

“Delivery from Preston&Sons Ma’am for miss… Beatrice Decker-Douche’spinoza?” The man brows came together in forming one line in confusion a grin gracing lips making his chin’s bleached soul patch disappearing. Mouthing the surname again he frowned again before he shrugged and took a pen from his pocket for her to sign all whilst still covering his lower midsection.

Reluctantly she took the pen scanning the receipt for the contents of the box. There was no description, just a four digit number and Lucifer’s name scrubbed under the client’s cleared check. The date of purchase written elegantly by Lucifer’s hand was piercing her eyes from the dim light. 26th of December. The day of the attack.

“Is that the price?” She asked dumfounded the young man who gave her a plastic bag and proceeded on carrying the large box in her apartment before she made any attempt to stop him.

“Yep. Now, where should I put this? The assembly has also been covered.” The man said dutifully setting down the box and taking out a sharp blade cutting carefully through the edges of the cardboard.

“What is it?” She questioned helplessly watching the sturdy man removing several layers of paper and bubble wrap from the flat box.

“What is going on here?” Maze whined like she always did whenever Trixie woke her up during early morning school days. Not waiting for a reply she stepped into the kitchen and poured the still hot water from the kettle into a cup with generous spoonfuls of coffee and a pinch of vodka.

“The heck if I know.” Chloe joined Maze behind the counter watching something ivory white come to their view. Unloading the contents of the bag to the counter she looked perplexed two books and a square plastic case sliding out.

“He didn’t…” She murmured and groaned at what the removal of the last pieces of protective bubble wrap revealed.

“You still believe he could ever hurt her?” Maze asked putting the books and the CD case the one next to the other in a fine line.

“I guess no. But when I find him, Trixie will be his only child. Period!” Chloe warned Maze of what was going to happen in Lucifer Morningstar’s eminent future.

“That’s harsh Decker!” Maze gasped with a devilish gleeful expression.

“Two how-to books and Angel Eyes by Jim Brickman? What was he thinking…” Chloe mused watching the man slowly putting together the not so small digital baby grand.

“Trixie is obsessed with Lucifer's eyes. She always was.” Maze informed her and put her cup in the sink without bothering to wash it _again_.

Taking the CD from Chloe’s hands she unwrapped it and put it to play on a loop in the background, as the two women watched the white digital piano being assembled. While considerably small it still took a good portion of the living room when it was finally set up. Chloe thanked God Lucifer had not decided to go with a full sized baby grand instead.

“Still why a piano? That kid spread half of her breakfast jam on his penthouse’s one last time.” Maze wondered at the Lucifer’s generous purchase for the spawn and Chloe’s easy acceptance of the gift without the expected fuss. 

“It was on her Christmas list. I told him I would not take another American Doll incident otherwise...” Chloe drawled her eyes narrowing in determination. 

“Otherwise?” Maze repeated ignoring the stolen glances of the man on their living room floor. 

“I would castrate him.” She said cheerfully stirring the almond cream in her tea.  

“Okay Ma’am here is the pamphlet of your bright new Classenti DG1. I need a second signature that you _approve_ the setting up and the delivery.” He told her presenting her with a pack of papers from his pocket.

“Sure,” Chloe said in defeat and reached for the sheet.

“Wait! This is for the penthouse’s piano tuning!” The man snatched back the sheet and proceeded on trying to find the correct receipt.

“Penthouse tunning, LUX tuning, San Gabriel mountains delivery… No, that’s in two weeks…., Ah yes, Classenti DG1 north-west Los Angeles.” Before he could offer the sheet to the blond woman, she had ripped it from his hands and went through the different pages.

“This one! Where is this one!” Chloe demanded to know showing him the receipt of a five-figure baby grand. A real baby grand.

“Ehmmm, no idea and in Preston&Sons we respect- Umph!” Maze was faster on putting his head on the kitchen counter than Chloe.

“Think again.” Maze said slowly, pronouncing every word as a promised threat of disembowelment.

“I don’t know!” The man gulped at the murderous pressure by the woman of his previously of lustful thoughts, holding effortlessly his head on the cool counter.

“Wrong answer!” She hissed applying more pressure on his neck.

“The guy is a security freak! Only the owner knows!” He stammered his muffled words.

“Call him now!” Chloe instructed giving him the phone and nodding at Maze to release him.

“Look, ladies…, I told you the guy doesn’t trust anyone but the _boss_ and the _boss_ is flying from Hawaii to L.A. tonight.” He told them taking a few steps back from the still dangerously looking petite woman.

“You expect me to believe that only the owner of the shop knows the location?” Chloe sneered at the absurdity of the situation.

“I should have known.” Maze laughed grabbing the vodka bottle without a bothering for a glass.

“Maze?” Chloe begged for her to continue.

“After the Cooper fiasco with LUX and the penthouse, I noticed a large outflow of money but Lucifer was always so… spontaneous with extravagant purchases that I never questioned him.” She admonished on her stupidity to never question Lucifer. He was indeed the Devil, she mentally snorted. 

“How large?” Chloe sighed rubbing her temples.

“Millions. Thirty-two give or take.” Maze admitted lowering her head.

“What house in San Gabriel costs over thirty millions?” Chloe wondered out loud.

“A well equipped one or a _customised_ one.” Maze supplied remembering how much the penthouse had cost almost five years ago.

“So what now?” Chloe looked Maze for guidance as she had more experience on being flexible and deliver under Lucifer’s absurd orders.

“When will the owner, Mr Preston I assume will land?” Maze snarled at the man throwing the plastic bag in the recycling bin.

“In 4-5 hours, I guess…”

“Good.” Maze signed for Chloe the documents and ripped the rest of the receipts out of the rest of the pack. Ushering the guy outside of the apartment she turned from the now closed door with a wicked grin on her face.

“We got him.” Was her only comment gesturing Chloe to join her on the couch. Getting her phone from the coffee table she typed furiously at Lucifers well-established network. A lockdown always had its disadvantages and Lucifer had never realised Maze’s growing loyalty towards her new roommate. He should have. 

“We got him.” Chloe sighed in relief and sat heavily on the couch. Maze unexpectedly embraced her from behind offering for the first time a reassurance that everything would be resolved by the morning of the 31st.

Maze never questioned her sleeves dampening or the slight rocking of the woman in her arms. Long ago she had offered a similar comfort to a screaming in anguish, Fallen angel. He had screamed, howled and finally whimpered for millennia before he had fallen silent. A silence that had lasted until Delilah’s murder. Until the woman in her embrace had got him talking again, singing again. Perhaps even _believing_ again. 

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

 

Songs Used For this Entry:

[The Dark - Beth Crowley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMkz9JF7teY)

_"Lost one. Tell me, do you want to be found?_ _I don't trust you but I want to. Please don't let me fall"_

[Digital Daggers - Still Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2C6G3PCpqw)

_"Musing through memories,_  
_Losing my grip in the grey._  
_Numbing the senses,_  
_I feel you slipping away._  
_Fighting to hold on,_  
_Clinging to just one more day_  
_Love turns to ashes,_  
_With all that I wish I could say."_

  
  
What a [Classenti DG1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koFcG9QjkwQ) Digital Baby Grand looks and sounds like (The GR1 was the old model but the exterior is the same).

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I believe that in this chapter you can see clearer how the chapters are intertwined. I hope you enjoyed that. 
> 
> 2) This one was a difficult chapter to write. I have no idea why but writing from Chloe's POV is uncomfortable so here we have a lot of Maze with a fair amount of Chloe and a pinch of Linda. 
> 
> 3) According to the spoilers, the ring will go missing and Lucifer will be furious as it holds a sentimental value. Tom Ellis said that putting the ring on happened 5 minutes before they started shooting the pilot so the ring's storyline is a new one. I'm still calling this by the way!
> 
> 4) I usually rant over scenes, theories etc on Tumblr nowadays so you can find me there as well. I also post the new chapter's progress from time to time. 
> 
> 5) I Need the Eggs, Annie Hall. What does that mean? It comes from the last scene of Woody Allen's movie Annie Hall. I've changed the title of this chapter to match my yesterday's rant over the interpretation of the scene in 2x01 (you can find in on my Tumblr's posts). Long story short Woody Allen talks about what relationships are and how you will always need the eggs, meaning the love that comes out of it whether a relationship succeeded or failed. 
> 
> 6) Late April and May so far were a Hell on Earth for me. When the students are ready for their semester exams that mean that my supervisor demands more from us and combined with my other responsibilities this never ends well or on getting a sufficient amount of sleep. 
> 
> 7) I hope I didn't "kill" all the conveyed emotions of this chapter, good or bad. Also, let's hope that the editing process caught several of my mistakes and managed to blunt the edges.


	16. Preternaturally Inexorable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Preternaturally Inexorable:
> 
> In this chapter, we finally see Lucifer and Trixie interacting again. He tries to resolve the problem called parenthood with disastrous results. At the same time, Chloe and Maze try to track him down. Yet as Lucifer would know, his family never makes *just* social calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very long chapter. The longest I have ever written for AGN. It's about 12K words meaning that it's equivalent to almost three standard updates. 
> 
> I apologise in advance for what you are about to read. This chapter must contain the most peculiar version of a certain overused theme. Does that even make sense to you? Well... Good luck, I'll see you again at the ending notes of this chapter.

* * *

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

 

**Preternaturally Inexorable**

 

**30th of December, 2016 23:12 PM**

**San Gabriel Mountains**

 

The sun had long set in the distance. Getting out of the Los Angeles’ urban area had proven to be almost an impossible feat on New Year’s Eve. The roads were buzzing with more life than usual. Everyone was enjoying the mild weather L.A. offered before retreating for their pre-party drinks. The same thing he would have done if it wasn’t for the tiny inconvenience on his right. Stealing a glance on the occupied car seat no movement could be detected by his keen eyes. Within the oversized for her tiny body, jacket and wrapped firmly around the seat by his white shirt, Lucifer could only see a wild bush of dark curls dancing on the passing chilling air.  
  
Stepping on the gas, he flexed his fingers on the steering wheel and switched on the beam headlights knowing it would take a little while longer before they reached their destination. Resting his elbow on the brim of his door, he rubbed with the sideline of his left index the outline of his lips. It was an old habit of his. Speed, on the other hand, had always helped him take back something of what he had missed when he had Maze cut his wings. The acceleration, the fast forward motion and the pressure of air his body was experiencing, had been the best way for him to think on serious matters. It was the only way of putting a great physical distance between him and the realm Dad had set him to rule.  
  
The radio was not bothering much except from the odd 80s or 90s cheeseball songs that were played at odd times, much to his disgust. If anything, the child was definitely a Decker and that thought alone prevented him from going into a full blown panic mode at the mere ridiculous probability of sharing any genetic material with her.  
  
“What are you?” Lucifer found himself wondering out loud, refusing to cave into the need of checking her again.  
  
Finally reaching their destination, he soundlessly parked the Corvette on the concrete terrace which was basically the roof of the house below them. Turning the keys off the engine he rested his back on the leather seat inhaling deeply the aroma of fir and humidity around him. Where in his previous visits he had tended to look in the clear sky above him, marvelling on how several of his creation were still shining brightly, his focus was now had been demanded elsewhere.  
  
The bundle of clothes and what was tucked inside it was not sharing his distressing thoughts. Taking a quick peek under the collar of his blazer he could see the child’s eyes closed but her eyebrows pulled together in an uneasy rest. Sighing he got out of the car and as gently as he could he undid the knot on the shirt’s sleeves around the kid.  
  
Taking the small body in his arms was not a foreign act for him anymore and he held her close while he went down the stairs from the roof to the entrance of the house. Shifting the child on his arms to press the pass for the door he gasped a curse when a wet cold nose made contact with the exposed crook of his neck. Pressing the right numbers quickly he was unaware of his body adjusting to the needs of the sleeping child who was now entangled on his torso. Once this act, had come to him as easily as breathing and obviously his body had never forgotten, heating pleasantly the shivering body its owner was cradling.  
  
“We are here.” He whispered in the curly in waves hair not bothering to turn on the lights.  
  
The lights of Los Angeles could be seen from the wide windows on his left. This house was similar to his penthouse, one floor divided by as many walls as it would make it stand on the steep ground of the mountain unassisted. The open kitchen-living room was a custom blueprint order and the same feature had been requested for the single bedroom in the house. Eyes flickering on the oddly placed lift's doors between the bedroom and the living room, he saw no indication of been switched on which would lead on disturbing him tonight. His worries were not unfounded, how could you hide certain things from children like the one in his arms.  
  
Settling her on the bed hesitating he blindly searched for some clothes and with a last glance on the sleeping child, he welcomed the oblivion the chilled water offered during his quick shower. Bothering only with a pair of tailor made cotton dress pants he stayed shirtless. Dripping water on a trail under this still wet feet, Lucifer found the small figure still curled on his jacket. Sighing he dried whatever he could from his wet hair and he then threw the towel at the corner of the bedroom.  
  
“How can you be so fearless?” He wondered settling close to the spawn, everyone was so set that was his. Making no attempt to reach for her he closed his eyes knowing he would be roused if she needed anything.

 

* * *

  **31st of December, 2016 05:53 AM**

**San Gabriel Mountains**

 

A nudge was followed by a second one before a poke on his cheek made him curse and open his eyes to meet her deep brown arresting ones. She started tapping his cheek now conciliated to be the centre of his attention. Her gleeful expression was eerie familiar as was her confounded frown when he stayed motionless studying her features.

“I’m hungry” She whispered and her tap conveyed her urgency to be fed.

“You know you have a mole just right.. here.” He told her covering the small beauty mark with his index and brushing over it hoping it would fade under his touch.

“Mum and my doctor say it will go away, it’s already fading see?” She scooted closer for him to see the fading edges of the still prominent mark above her left lip corner.

“I know but you will get more one day. Does that bother you?” Lucifer asked completely going astray from his original plan which was supposed to be set in motion once he had her alone at his disposal.

The girl grimaced thoughtfully but when it turned to a wide grin he had his answer. Rising from the bed and approached the window, he realised that it had started raining in the area and by the looks of it, for a good while. So their presence had not gone unnoticed. Good.

“Breakfast?” Beatrice quipped behind him and he hoped she would be satisfied with what little the house was equipped with.

Leaving the child to take care of her morning needs, which resulted in an unappealing result of wet sleeves and a second trail of droplets on the hardwood flooring, he stirred the porridge with the condensed milk he had found in the cupboard.

“Banana crisps?” He asked opening the brown sugar for his serving.

“Sure?” She replied climbing on the counter to take a better look on what was boiling in the pot. Beatrice did not appear to be keen on trying the mixture he was filling in two bowls.

“Just try it.” Lucifer coaxed her adding some more sugar in hers before dropping a handful of banana chips inside her steaming porridge.

Taking a spoonful he hummed in appreciation after days of being nearly starved. Raising his eyes to see how the kid was taking her breakfast he was not disappointed. Spoon raised to her nose she sniffed it never taking her eyes from his face and her tongue lashed out for a quick taste.

“Edible?” He demanded to know without forcing his facial muscles to drop his wide smile.

He only got a nod as she took a spoonful after spoonful in her mouth with an admirable tolerance to the heat of her meal. Lucifer chewed slowly looking at the enthusiastic eater before him. The crunchy chips did little to sidetrack him from his thoughts. His spoon hovered over his bowl and looking at the child he could not find any new-found emotions other than the ones that were still there. Her debatable paternity issue was not steering him away from what he already knew he felt for the child and that thought alone was disturbing.

“So… any thoughts on matricide or _patricide_?” He casually asked.

“Patri…” She looked from her plate frowning and then pushing it away from her

“Right. Not a promising start but… You will eat this child.” Lucifer warned her seeing her portion not to have decreased despite the previous heartful bites.  

“No.” She replied in the teasing way which told him she was once again trying to get her way.

“Why am I here?” The little bugger asked him, vulnerability shadowing her eyes for the first time since he had sped away from the courtroom with her in the car.

“What about… We answer each other’s questions and you get a bite for every one I answer?” He suggested and to his relief she brought her porridge closer to her again, spoon ready at hand.

“Why am I here?” She asked him holding his gaze much like her mother did in the interrogation room.

“I cannot lie, can you handle that?” Lucifer challenged, his fingers tracing the brim of his bowl but refusing to lower his eyes to a child.

“Only one way to know.” She told him already eating a mouthful honouring their agreement.

“Eat your breakfast _slowly_. Perhaps you are smarter than I first thought.”

“Mum says I’m as intelligent as my dad. He topped the Academy, honour roll!”

“Right… Ambiguous results there due to young age. Then again… What’s your opinion on humanity, plagues and manipulation?”

“No answer, no bite.”

The steaming porridge was forgotten when he saw the small nose squinting in brazenness. The wind outside howled and the brisk and continual heavy rain tapped hard the double windows hiding the Los Angeles basin lights from his view. Taking three cups from beside the electric kettle he went down the short corridor to the bathroom and retrieved what he had tucked in his now discarded itchy dress pants in the bathroom. Refraining from touching the backside of the child, he turned the cups quickly upside down on the counter and waited.

Trixie studied the turned plain white cups and turned to the stony-faced Lucifer who was waiting for her to make the first move. Every inch she was getting closer to the cups had Lucifer’s breath catching in his lungs. Her fingers thrummed on the white counter and after several long seconds, she raised her eyes to his cold and most distressing ones.

“Why?” She asked him simply again and crossed her hands waiting.

“Why you are here? Why I’ve put these cups in front of you? Why _me_?” He replied softly for once worrying more about the consequences a clear proof would have on her than him.

“Do questions change things?” She mumbled bringing her hands on her lap now glaring at the cups.

“They tend to.” Lucifer whispered gently not knowing how to approach the subject.

“Beatrice there is this _human_ certified possibility that we _may_ be related.” He told her slowly not knowing how much she could comprehend at her young age.

“Uncle? Abuelita has some family in New Mexico-”

“I may or may _not_ have sired you.” The word innocent enough left a bad taste in his mouth, which the porridge goo was unable to clear as it passed down his closing throat.

The child’s head cocked but she took a bite regardless of not understanding the answer she had been given.

“Brought you into existence. Weaved you into your mother’s womb. _Fathered_ you.” The last term had him considering physically spitting out the vile notion of what the offspring’s existence would mean for him.

“I like my daddy…” Trixie played slowly with the cooling gooey concoction.

Lucifer had hoped all could be resolved with just one simple declaration as that one, which had him relieved and aching all the same. He had come to appreciate the little parasite, but procreation had never been in his plans. The impossibility gave way to hatred on what fatherhood meant in a celestial being's definition of the term. If he had not slightly _impaired_ Daniel, he might have had a chance for the child to avoid the miasma that the beginning of her existence had unfortunately saddled her with.

“Truthfully I like him as well. A bad decision maker but a good guy most of the times. Still, a douche though…” Lucifer roughly admitted with a forced smile taking another mouthful off his bowl and finishing his breakfast. Taking his distance from the child by leaving his dishes in the sink, he wished he could verify this as quickly as he could dismiss it.

“Why?” Didn't that child know any other way to voice her inquiries?

“The right question would have been _how_ but why works as well. Chance, karma, dick-… vine plans…” His features darkened and licking the spoon he threw it in the sink.

When he turned, the child had climbed on the counter legs crossed and her head rested on her hands. Lucifer could see the wheels turning in her still young brain. What would she voice next could tell him how to proceed after the cups

“Am I like Tommy?” She finally asked obviously pleased with her conclusion.

“Tommy?” He coaxed her to elaborate further.

“He has two daddies and no mommy…” Trixie explained him airily, smug on passing that kind of information.

“You have a daddy, a mommy and probably me is that a sufficient explanation?” He challenged her openly. The shrug of her shoulders along with her loose ponytails flying widely with the movement of her shaking head comforted him more than it should.

“It will do.” She said giving him her half-eaten meal.

The deal was off and the child was far from pleased if Lucifer could interpret her mood correctly. Throwing away in the rubbish bin the rest of the bowl’s contents he turned his back to the counter mumbling on the endless similarities the child was sharing with her mother. He had just let the porcelain in the sink when something heavy and sticky attached itself to his back.

“Can you _stop_ doing that?” He lamented trying to pry the small fingers off his neck without much success.

“Lucifer?” Her warm breath made him shudder in revulsion as well as in contentment of the kid not having lost her touchy-feely nature.

“Yes?” He gruffed, washing the plates and hoping the splashing water would make her retreat back to the kitchen's counter.

“What does that mean?”

“I thought you understood.” Lucifer turned to look at her as much as his movement could allow with her gripped tightly on his shoulder blades.

“I’m big, but I’m only eight.” She explained to him mumbling in exasperation on the crook of his neck.

“Will you pick a cup?” He asked her tiredly closing the running water while the thunderstorm outside intensified in intensity and volume.

“I don’t want to.” Trixie told him in uneasiness. 

“You have to I’m afraid.” Untangling her hands from the base of his throat Lucifer easily placed her on the counter next to the turned down cups.

There was a fleeting accusing gleam in her eyes like she knew what her decision would signify for their future, when in reality only he knew the possible consequences. The small hand hovered over the cups before he cut her off grabbing her left hand and grimacing he dampened well a towel just enough to clean the honey residue from her palm.

“Proceed, child.” Lucifer instructed forcing his hands to remain on the counter and not interrupt the process again.

Without touching the far left cup, she hovered her index finger above it and nodded slowly. He would have expected her to turn the cup and question him of its content but she seemed as aware of what there was under that cup, as he was.

“Why that one?” He asked her simply, gritting his teeth. There was no point of denying it anymore. No escape door to step through, aside from the one he had wanted to desperately avoid.

“Because it's the right one.” She said and withdrew her hand from over the cup.

“You have to realise that there are plenty _right_ ones in this world child. Do you know what it’s in there?” Lucifer demanded despite not having any thread to hang from anymore. The deed was done. He was only procrastinating the unavoidable.

“Yes, light.” She replied easily and he turned the cups one by one, leaving the one she had chosen last.

The first two contained the two dark feathers Lucifer knew had come from Uriel and were until recently in Daniel's possession. The last one was a tiny white feather caked with dried blood, his blood. The one which was apparently illuminating light according to the child.

“It’s a ratty feather you can have a whole bird for all I care for, but does it have to be _this_ one?” He demanded desperately wishing for her to change her pick, to be as capricious as human children tended to be.

“I like it.” Trixie decided, taking the feather in her hands to inspect it closely.

“That you do.” He said warily rubbing the back of his bare neck. The rain outside had ceased and the weather appeared to be getting mellower now. He had to act quickly.

“I need to groom myself for a bit, are you capable of entertaining yourself safely?” He asked warily watching her small fingers playing with the protruding handles of the wooden knife block.

“Aha!” She exclaimed drawing out what he knew was the carving knife. Long and potentially harming for both of them. He had heard often something about children running wild with knives or scissors.

“Hands off the knives young lady!” He told her sternly taking the block from within her reach and placing it on the top of the cupboards.

“Listen, I need to go tame all this.” He told her gesturing his growing stable and wild bed hair.

“When I come back we will talk about abjuring me.” Lucifer saw no hint of the child understanding what he was talking about and sure enough, a question quickly followed.

“What?”

“ _Lovely_ … Just roll it on your tongue Bea- child. I abjure thee and all you stand. Again slower. I. abjure. thee. and all you stand.”

He briefly considered the possibility of having to tie her to the armchair for her safety. Lucifer would never admit it but he had to relent on the fact that he was clueless on child-rearing and by the end of this very hour he would never have to learn regrettably. An invisible fist twisted his gut, threatening the downwards digestion of his breakfast.

“Why?”

“Practice saying that and I guarantee you will be back home in time for dinner. With your mother and… and your daddy.” Scanning the rest of the counter he couldn’t find anything harmful around her and if she had climbed up surely she knew how to climb down. 

Passing through the short corridor to the small bathroom he ruefully acknowledged that the lift's power was now switched on. If he didn’t know better he would have felt almost as if he was being summoned. Closing the door of the bathroom behind him he took a moment to look his appearance in the mirror.

He looked impossibly tired while his eyes were glaring back at him. Lucifer noted that his facial hair had grown considerably in the past hours but not to an uncomfortable length. Choosing to forgo a shave mostly for the sake of a meeting he would not avoid. For that alone, he needed to be formidable and hellishly regal even if he would not actually be seen.

Splashing some cold water on his face Lucifer threw his fingers over his hair trying to tame whatever could stay down just by the force of water alone. The result of his minimal in effort grooming didn't have the results he wished it did. He could see the short hair behind his ears starting to curl while his brows glistered in the cold light of the halogen lamps over the mirror. Feeling slightly better he got out expecting to find the child still on the counter.

“The view is _lovely_. Oh… Bye, mommy!” The child’s low yet excited voice came from the balcony outside the now open window.

Draped over the balcony’s concrete railing Beatrice was holding his wireless phone and was leaning way too outward for his liking. His feet moved in haste to the direction of the child without a proper thought of why he was reaching her so fast. Gripping her by the shoulders he set the squirming child on the counter again away from the still open window.

“What were you thinking?” He hissed and was surprised when she didn’t shrink by his borderline threatening tone.

“I called mommy…” The girl confessed with the decency to show some remorse on what he still didn’t know.

“By juggling yourself to a certain fall down the mountain?” He demanded, choking at the spit he never swallowed since he had seen the child on the balcony. The hammering on his chest could be ignored but not the rhythmic pulsing vein he could feel on his right temple.

“If you had told me what abjure meant I might-” She stubbornly whispered but lowered her head knowing fully well where her mistake was lying.

“You don’t almost _throw_ yourself out of a balcony for a word's definition child!” He drily told her and put his hand on each side of her seated on the counter body.

“I’m sorry.”

“From now on I provide you with answers and you stop endangering yourself. Deal?” He asked her gently and was awarded with a lopsided grin which meant more than he would have ever wanted to know.

“Oversimplification was never my expertise, but what I meant was that you have to say you don’t want me around as a relative of yours.” Lucifer struggled with words the child would understand and placate her to comply with his demand.

“No.”

“No?” He asked bewildered.

“I like you.” She said, her irritation evident on her frowning in annoyance face. On what exactly and why he hadn’t understood yet.

“This doesn’t mean I won’t be around anymore just that we will be what we were before.” He put simply again in the most persuasive tone he could deliver without literally drawing out the words from her. 

“Friends?” She asked tentatively considering what he was falsely offering her.

“Best... buddies but without the throwing knives as an extracellular activity thing. We have to leave something for Maze right?” Lucifer chuckled along with the girl but turned sober quickly.

“Well… No.” She finalised her decision and attempted to climb down from the counter. A strong hand grounded her in her place and her eyes narrowed.

_'A Decker indeed'_

“Beatrice… What is the thing you desire the most?” His breath struggled to deliver the seductive inquiry he had done effortlessly for aeons so far.

“Cakes usually.” Trixie answered simply and fidgeted under his abrupt pleasant manner.

“Can you do me a favour now and tell me…” He encouraged gathering her in his arms yet never breaking their eye contact.

“Yes?”

“I.” Lucifer began his forehead’s wrinkles relaxing in relief.

“I…” She chimed seemingly enthralled by his close proximity.

“Abjure.” Their noses were almost touching and for the first time, he could see the deep chestnut red flecks in her eyes. A trait directly inherited by him. Swallowing he willed more of his persuasion skill on the innocent pair of the child’s trusting eyes.

“Nope!” Trixie snorted and patted his cheek.

“Work with me, child!” He growled grabbing her hand and forcing it down to her lap again.

“Nope!” She insisted stubbornly her legs wildly swaying hard, in irritation and kicking hard with her heels the kitchen island.

“What takes you that long to deliver?” He demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Her body shook and she fell back to the counter a fit of giggles while he loomed over her in a total loss of his next move. Sighing he grabbed with difficulty her shaking in laughter shoulders and set her upright again. Stooping down to her level he internally cursed on how her mother’s miracle status had affected the offspring’s immunity to his charms. Charms he would swear now he had probably passed down to her.

The clock over the oven was ticking making itself known that time hadn’t stopped and as such nor was his still unresolved issue. For an eternal being time had rarely been an issue but when it did, Lucifer had to resort to actions which had brought him immense sorrow. His Fall was, after all, a result of time once running out. Shutting his eyes tightly he tried to memorise the laughter of the small child in the room. 

“That’s it! Just remember I didn’t want to resort to that.” He said solemnly feeling his tendons stretch and flex into the cool air.

The change was gradual he could feel the lacerating lashes of torn flesh and twisted tendons creeping up his cheek and over his tightly shut lips. Puffing a warm breath out he made Trixie’s long lashes flutter as she blinked at the revelation of what lay beneath his tortured human facade. 

He could feel his features' ligaments melting and constantly reforming while getting soaked by the weeping gashes, that every anguishing contraction his body was breaking into expelled on his flesh. Soon enough with a blink of his eyelash-less eyelids, he knew that his warm brown irises had been replaced by a pale cerise.

Her intimate warm giggle was immediately back breaking into a markedly girlish laughter. Sharply inspecting his hands on her shoulders he could see the mangled in shreds crimson wrists flexing in an attempt to keep her still and not fall from the counter. The tension on his face's rigid segments of muscles rendered him aware of his awestruck confusion. The throbbing behind his irises demanded an outlet he was unwilling to expel in her presence.

“Beatrice I will ask one more time. Repeat after me: I abjure Samael and Lucifer...”

Flames were licking their way upward of his lungs up to his throat and sinuses before they slickly outpoured from his eyes. It was an effect that had the child cease all noises and her mouth slacked open. Instinctively he closed his eyes, hands still on her shoulders. Lucifer let his head fall on his chest contemplating the dire consequences of his stupidity to show this form to a being which was carrying the same divine purity as her mother.

“Wha-?” Lucifer felt the hard shove on his right shoulder and his stiff hands lost contact with the delicate shoulders they were once attached to. He never had the chance to open his eyes to see her shrinking back from him when a sharp pain radiated by an unexpected kick between his legs.

Stomach churning, bile and porridge rising he hissed in pain while falling on the floor. His mind went black, eyes watered at the sharp, gruelling and unrelenting ache which travelled from his testicles to his bowels and all up to his stomach. Everything else had shrivelled and were cupped protectively. Hands placed on the devilish triad to salivate the wrenching pain Lucifer battled for his next breath. A tremoring hand came in contact with his desperately bobbing cheek as he managed to expel steady breaths to go through and hopefully ease this sickening sensation.

“Are you okay?” A small childish voice made him refocus and open his eyes, the pain slowly dulling.

Unable to give a verbal reply he grunted and he saw Beatrice hovering over him terrified. Yet where he had expected to see terror he saw fascination blended with worry. Her palm was touching every piece of his face she could reach in a futile attempt to make sure that everything was indeed there. Brushing his scalp with her short but dexterous fingers he breathed in relief at the unexpected comfort he was receiving. Equally, unexpected was though the feeling of his short curling hair giving way to her pliant by the thickness of his hair, fingers. Troubling eyes met hers when a sharp intake made him focus on who was standing behind him trembling worse than he had been a moment ago.

Golden hair askew, lustrous liquid grey-blue eyes, she was the most welcoming and fearsome sight he had ever beheld for over an eternity now. The palm which was idly skimming through his hair forced him to look away from her and concentrate again on Trixie.

“I like your eyes.” She practically cooed much to his perplex. Where everything felt remotely normal, aching genitals and bruised ego aside, his eyes were still oozing the same heat he was familiar with his Devil’s form.

“An angel’s eyes.” She declared and patted him on the cheek in appreciation to the sight.

“No Beatrice, far from it. Way too far from it.” Lucifer croaked rising gradually to his full height with a considerable difficulty.

 

* * *

**31st of December, 2016 06:23 AM**

**San Gabriel Mountains**

 

The dark scenery was changing rapidly behind her car’s window. Each turn was taken with a magnificent operational precision, while the speed was accelerating at the finally empty road ahead of them. Encircling her torso Chloe tugged her seatbelt feeling the asphyxiation of the circumstances, which were leading her and Maze at the San Gabriel Mountains, deprive her of the much-needed oxygen she required to function. Not that the sleeplessness did them any favours either. 

“Breathe Decker!” Maze snapped next to her without losing the slightest control of the turn she was currently taking.

There was something intimidating in her roommate’s act and appearance today. Her onerous nature had unravelled at the airport where she had gleefully extracted the required information from the instrument store’s owner. By his blanched appearance when he spotted Maze in the crowd, Chloe was sure this had not been their first meeting nor eventually the least pleasant one. There had been a brief explanation over piano string quality and Lucifer’s demands over how his baby grands should sound that brushed any other information Chloe would have demanded. Lucifer was demanding by nature and Maze relentless on pleasing him until he drove off with Trixie that is. 

“How much longer?” Chloe asked monotonously again earning a glare from the driver.

“If the airport had not been on the west side of the city and 210 and 405 were not packed by late holiday leavers and this damn… _people_ were not obsessed with New Year's Eve, we would have been there at least four to five hours ago!” Maze blabbered hotly cursing under her breath at yet another turning point.

Soft droplets started to fall on the windshield rhythmically turning soon to a blazing downpour. Despite having a good amount of trust on her car’s tires Choe could see Maze starting to struggle with the steering wheel and slowing down for the first time in their journey. The gloom weather had not been expected nor she had seen any dark clouds approaching. But the increasingly heavy rain was here and was slowing them down. Almost missing the buzzing in her right pocket, she took her phone out. She did not recognise the number but with a tired shrug at Maze, she picked it up.

“What does abjure means?” Came her daughter's request to know through the line.

“Baby where are you?” Chloe interjected in agitation glancing sideways at Maze who bared her teeth and accelerated the car's speed again.

“What does it mean?” Trixie insisted struggling with her breath before letting out a big breath and presumably started walking by her uneven breathing.

“Who told you that?” She asked her knowing fully well the absurd requests Lucifer had over the past year. How would this be any different?

“Lucifer said he needs me to say that I abjure him. What does it mean?” The child demanded to know again huffing in annoyance, a habit she had taken after Maze sans the eye rolling for now.

“It means to reject him. Baby, can you tell me where you are? Has _anyone_ hurt you?” She bombard her questions battling with Maze who all of the sudden wanted to get the phone from her.

“The view is _lovely_. Oh… Bye mummy!” Trixie hurried, imitating a very familiar accent at the use of the world _lovely_ before the line was dropped.

“Trixie! No matter what Lucifer says you must _not_ use any of the words abjure, reject or renounce. Little human? Trixie! Damn it!” Maze barked her commands, realising too late that the child was no longer at the other side of the line.

“What is happening, what is he doing?” Chloe asked worrying her bottom lip and started tugging again her seatbelt.

“He wants the child to reject him out loud.” Her roommate explained her simply her knuckles turning white on the tightly held steering wheel. Even with the windshield wipers, the road ahead was blurry by the volume of the rain that was currently falling.

“It’s not like I went after him for child support! Especially under the circumstances!” She shot back refraining from probing the woman to go faster against her better judgement. Between the visibility of the horizon, the slippery road and the speed they were currently having it was a miracle they were still in one piece and on the road still driving.

“Chloe, Lucifer would never hurt someone and you know it. He asks her to reject all ties between them, to make that _her_ choice and therefore make sure that if he is gone, the child would not be touched if their connection is found out.” The worried tone in Maze's voice was foreign to Chloe’s ears. Reflecting all recent events she swallowed with difficulty before reaching her conclusion.

“The attackers?” Chloe asked slowly, eyeing Maze for any betraying reaction and she got just one aside from an obvious shudder that went through her.

“Worse… The hand of God as well as the bowels of Hell.” Quirking an eyebrow she smirked at the diminishing force of the elements outside the car.

“Maze there!” Chloe pointed at the first building they had come across in the past two hours since they had taken this road uphill to Saint Gabriel Mountains.

“Well, now we know where the thirty million went.” Maze concluded slowing down and looking at the minimalistic concrete cube with the roof parking place.

“The road was way too smooth.” Chloe concluded in agreement.

“He had the road commissioned as well as the building. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole area belongs to him or if more surprises await for us inside.” Maze warned her and soundlessly got out of the car, closing gently the door behind her.

The Corvette although dusty, was safely parked under the light metal roof, which covered over the building. That alone made Chloe wonder how meticulously this house had been commissioned. Stepping down the concrete stairs to the front door, Chloe could see Maze’s eyes wildly searching for any incoming threat. Perhaps she had realised too late how paranoid with safety Maze and Lucifer could be.

“BEATRICE I WILL ASK ONE MORE TIME” Lucifer’s voice growled piercing the uncommon silence of the surrounding forest. Ensuring her body's balance, Chloe was stopped by Maze before she could kick the front door open.

“The element of surprise Decker!” Turning slowly the handle she found the door unlocked and giving out easily to Maze’s push inwards.

Chloe was ready to defuse the situation between an unreasonable Lucifer and her expectantly emotionally wounded Trixie when the sight made the hair on her nape and arms lift. It must have been the years of training or she was driven by pure maternal instinct when she shoved him away from her baby girl and landed the black leather toecap of her boot on his groin.

“Wha-?” He whimpered plummeting on the floor.

The ragged breaths coming from the serpentine hairless creature which had carried Lucifer's accent was now squirming on the floor. Chloe took swiftly Trixie in her arms and cradled her tightly while stumbling backwards from the lightly rocking form. Where did the flesh begin and where it was interwind to keep all the dropsical mass together? The rich carmine hue resembled the skinned rabbits she so hated the sight of whenever her father took her for a camping trip. Swollen pulsing ligaments resembling never-ending carved vineyards run all over the tattered flesh. It was flexing and trembling at every expelled breath and while all her instincts screamed for her to run she was grounded on her spot as was Maze.

The rich carmine hue resembled the skinned rabbits she so hated the sight of whenever her father took her for a hunting slash camping trip. The swollen pulsing ligaments resembling never-ending carved vineyards run all over the tattered flesh not making its appearance any better to her widened eyes. It was flexing and trembling at every expelled breath and while all her instincts screamed for her to run she was grounded on her spot as was Maze beside her.

In a fluid squirming movement Trixie released herself from the binds of Chloe's enclosed arms and ran to the writhing figure. Kneeling next to mewling through its teeth body her daughter raised her eyes to her with a silent accusation. The form curled further pressing a hand on where she had delivered her kick while exposing its broad back for her.

The deep gaping lacerating wounds were weeping. The connection to Lucifer's scarred shoulder blades was unwilling yet soul wrigglingly valid.  The oozing substance from his crescent wounds appeared in colour and consistency close to that of tar although no drop ever made it to the floor boards. In reality, there was no evidence of the murky fluid that enfolded the seemingly oily pulped tissue to have smeared the honey coloured wooden ground, the body was just sprawled on.

“Are you okay?” Her daughter’s unblemished fingers touched the wretched cheek muscle providing an instant relief and a better breathing pattern.

A light grunt escaped him opening slightly his literally blazing eyes. Trixie continued to caress the brittle surface leaving several spreading pinkish spots behind. The laboured breath slowed down to relieved exhales worshiping every touch her daughter was providing him with. 

His cheekbones were now defined and covered with a steadily growing scruff. Eyebrows and eyelashes appeared with a single pass of her child’s palm over it. Slowly taking form once more on the floor was the man she had expecting to find there in the first place. Half painfully charred and enough to make her cringe. Half pinkish and pale with some odd light scarring here and there to draw her sympathy. Squinting his eyes Lucifer welcomed the feeling of the child’s finger brushing through his curly hair and tried to focus on the girl’s tight face.

Chloe taking a sharp intake of breath watched his face constrict in confusion and search for the source of the sound. Grey-blue eyes met his torrid inflamed ones. Gulping inaudibly she studied the depths of his irises. What flickered behind them was not threatening but teasing. His smile and his brown eyes were as inviting as they had been that morning after Delilah’s murder. After she had tried to figure out how he had concealed his bulletproof vest. While he had hit the ivory keys playing the King of Pain. For what it was worth she could finally now see the double meaning behind it. The King of Pain _and_ the Police. His eyes finally drifted away from hers when Trixie played with his sweat covered locks.

“I like your eyes.” Chloe heard her daughter saying in a mystifying manner obviously catching Lucifer unprepared on how to respond.

“An angel’s eyes.” The gravity was threatening to bring her down to the same level as Lucifer at the same time he was trying to conquer it.

”No, Beatrice, far from it. Way too far from it.” He told her solemnly and grimacing he stood upwards before wobbling to the nearest couch.

 

* * *

  

“What the fuck were you thinking Lucifer?” Maze advanced and slapped him soundly on his cheek making him choke and cough violently.

“Damn it Maze!” He protested between his coughing fits.

“You resort the Douche into a mumbling idiot, you kidnap the kid, **_your_** kid and then you decide to break her as well?” She spat ready to land another blow with Lucifer effectively stopping her mid-air. 

“ _Persuade_ her, Maze.” Lucifer corrected Maze and looked at her with a side look. Reaching the counter for support Chloe marvelled Trixie's stoic expression on the floor. 

“To what, reject what can potentially save her life one day?” Maze sneered and by Lucifer's tensed body Chloe was about to witness more than she had ever bargained for. 

“Save, ruin, cease to take your pick!” He raged looming over her flinching roommate

“Excuse me can you shhhhush for a second. I’m processing things here.” Chloe bellowed heaving, a headache just at bay from splitting her in two. 

“What it is to process Detective? That you bred with the epitome of all malevolence? Well, my condolences!” Lucifer bowed mockingly and striding quickly behind the kitchen island to search for what she would guessed was a full bottle of hard liquor.  

The clatter of empty bottles appeared to infuriate him before he froze on his spot. Brushing his stubble he let out an inaudible curse and ignoring her Lucifer kneeled next to her daughter. Trixie had close her eyes tightly and her indexes were now as deep as they could go in her ear canals.

“You idiot!” Chloe breathed insulting him and her equally for failing to see the consequences of this fighting on Trixie.

“Allow me to correct you… blithering idiots.” Lucifer admitted softly nudging the cheek of the child. Brown eyes fluttered immediately open making him grin.  

“Offspring… I- I’m not good at this. You understand don’t you not?” He pleaded Trixie to understand but looked directly at her. 

“I told you. You will do!” She replied hotly rosy cheeks filling with air and determination. 

“I guess I’ll have to do.” Lucifer shook his head and lifted the child just long enough for her to take a sit on the counter's stool. Maze approached them worryingly pushing around the cups on the counter. Three feathered stood there, one of them shimmering faintly in the morning light. 

“Lucifer he had at least one of them for years.” Maze informed Lucifer and he nodded gravely.  

“I know.” He sighed, his quest for alcohol now abandoned.

"All this for a bloodied feather?” Chloe stepped closer and examined the glistening feather. 

“A piece of divinity, a piece of me.” Lucifer revealed her and the knowledge of what he was looking for almost a year ago was now making sense. Opening a drawer he took out an aromatic candle and a box of matches. Lighting it up, he carefully swirled the candle to achieve a good burning thread before tossing one by one all the feathers, including his, setting them unmercifully on fire. 

“You knew he could take it then.” Maze guessed humming.

“Of course I did” Lucifer snorted and stroked Trixie's back who had dangerously started to wail up at the loss of the feathers. 

“Daniel had the unfortunate luck to see me as you did today. But he was in a divine high if you like, for years.” Lucifer explained her patiently whilst managing to avoid Trixie's breakdown tantrum.

“By a bunch of feathers?” Chloe asked bewildered brushing away a lone tear from Trixie's cheek. 

“One would do plenty. Highly addictive and nearly impossible to part from. Tends to influence positively certain people though. Make them see sense if you like.” Exchanging a look all the adults refrained from expanding that topic for the sake of the child in the room.

“Am I… Trixie?” Chloe suddenly questioned him. 

“I would say that carrying a half-celestial being makes you immune. That and Dad’s  whole miracle scheme, on which was played your very existence.” Lucifer tried to clarify what had transpassed in the courtroom not even twenty-four hours ago. 

“Mum did know Amenadiel then?” The overwhelming feeling to flee and deny this existence, Lucifers dual nature and whatever that implied for her roommate, only grounded her on what it meant for her child. A breakdown was impending but for now logic had to do for both hers and her daughter's sake. 

“You are taking all this remarkably too well.” Lucifer observed suspiciously apparently waiting for her to start running any minute now.  

“Once I shake the shock out of my system I’ll make sure you will never procreate again. Ever.” She declared low enough for only his ears but Maze got it nonetheless, eyes sparkling at the prospect.

Taking Trixie on his lap for protection Lucifer settled on the couch at a good distance from the two women.

“Something doesn’t add up.” Maze called finally his bluff looking at her to take the lead. 

“Always the one with the keen eye.” He praised Maze with false ease and confidence. 

“Thirty million just for three rooms and a road? Spill it. We both know you could have taken this land for nothing if you wanted to.” Chloe demanded to know getting closer to the man who had drawn the child closer to his torso silently begging her to keep her distance. 

“Accurate observation, yet you missed something my dear Maze. It was one hundred and thirty million.” Lucifer turned to Maze and with an effortless move he got up from the couch with Trixie on his hands but kept his distance at the other side of the room. 

“For your perfect safe house?” Maze grunted in disbelief.  

“My advisory? Oh no, it’s so much more than this. Which at this case it just might work, I am expected after all.” Letting the child slowly down to the ground he took her small hand and gesturing the now open elevator doors he allowed them to enter before he did. 

“Lucifer?” Chloe demanded answers. 

“I can see you shivering when I approach and I can even smell your adrenaline rising as you are getting ready to bolt. You fear me, Detective.” His eyes could be seen at the blurry reflection of the elevator's doors, momentarily firing up before the settled back to their brown colour.  

“I don’t fear you.” She said stubbornly, rearranging how she stood behind him. 

“But something does make you adverse on being in my presence, perhaps you will persuade the offspring to do the same. She is _too_ young.” They both knew Trixie could hear them but that made this more like a desperate plea than an absentminded request. 

“For an intellectual conversation perhaps but she can give as good as she can take.” She warned him but was quick to hear his swallowing giggle. 

“Never doubted that still, the issue remains. She is pure and I’m not. Let’s just think for the best of the rest of her accidental existence shall we?” He told her and she stepped back putting her hand on her daughter’s chest, trying to put as much distance as possible between Lucifer, herself and her unwilling to be parted from him, child.

“I can see you again shrivelling in the corner Detective. It’s both unbecoming of you and highly disappointing. Borderline painful as well.” Lucifer murmured never turning to look at her but she could see his shoulders stiffen and flex uncomfortably at his admission. When had this dance between hot and cold began? Was it even worth it?

Maze elbowed her effectively to think before she replied and Chloe’s eyes narrowed inspecting every facial feature of her roommate. She was still a petite woman, with great agility and deadly force.

“Demon?” Chloe asked plainly refusing to let the twist of panic which was slowly brewing itself upwards to be spilt just yet.

“Contrary to popular belief no.” Lucifer mused taking Maze’s hand into his and giving it a light squeeze.

“Only half demon but it does the trick for me” Maze smiled at him and he shook his head as he always did with Chloe when something amused him greatly.

“Maze is the product of a demon and Lilith. A force of nature itself you like. Very much like the spawn.” He concluded and opened discreetly his palm behind his back for the child to take despite not leaving her mother’s protective embrace.

The cabin smoothly came to a stop and the doors opened to reveal a broad corridor. Chloe would have expected it to be bare concrete like any other bunker, but the detail of the selected wallpaper screamed not only of wealth but of great care as well.

“Unfortunately for her though certain beings and Demons included, do not make the best parents a child would need.” Lucifer sighed getting out of the cabin and stepping barefoot on the dark grey marble.

“Nor do angels, sir” A piercing voice echoed in the corridor before a slender woman in her late fifties appeared. By her delicate features, Chloe assumed easily her Far East origins.

“Mrs Hacker, a delight as always.” Lucifer supplied with his devious smile plastered in place.

“You are not getting out of this boy.” Mrs Hacker stood her ground with her black biddy eyes measuring up the new guests.

“It was an eventful week my dear, do not read too much into it.” He told her calmly and leaned down to give her a small peck on her well-powdered cheek.

“I’m Mrs Hacker and this boy is abstaining from introductions as always.” The older woman chested him and Lucifer’s ears turned into a light pinkish colour.

“Mrs Hacker allow me, Mazikeen followed by Chloe and Beatrice Decker. No, Beatrice Decker-Espinosa.” He said stiffly but with an air that would have fooled anyone who didn’t know him.

“You didn’t!” The woman spat in anger after she had studied the child, dark orbs dangerously sparkling.

“Everyone, Mrs Hacker is my employee and an unfortunate descent of one of my _wild_  experimenting brothers. If you ever wondered who started the Nephilim, well that brother was always the curious one.” Lucifer replied tersely ignoring the fuming woman next to him.

“You are one of the known forty-three. The last of the nine.” Maze nodded in understanding though taking a calculated a step back.

“There is no reason to alarm yourself Mazikeen” Mrs Hacker tried to pacify her still sending daggers to Lucifer.

“The forty-three?” Chloe demanded to know, her head on the brink of collapsing under the weight of the ongoing onslaught of new information she was receiving.

“The forty-three were the last humans who carry a tiny piece of divinity inside them. A product of a union between my dear hellbound brother and some humans when Dad was feeling frisky on how he could play with humanity before Noah’s cataclysm.” Lucifer supplied peering at the far end of the corridor.

“So she is not the first.” Chloe said softly looking at the child who was touching the colourful wallpaper.

“In a sense she is. I was one of the four that were actually born, the rest of heaven simply came into being.” He told her as if in pain whilst licking his lips in deep thinking.

“You... You have a _mother_?” She stammered faintly.

“Let’s try something simpler before we meet another ball-wrecking matriarch shall we?” Lucifer urged her to come with him with Mrs Hacker, Maze and Trixie following right behind the pair.

There was a single door at the right end of the corridor, led to a vast room illuminated only by a dark filtered skylight. The vividness of the walls could put in shame the colourful wallpaper of the corridor with several absurdly in size furniture being scattered in the open space. 

“We opened the window after the tantrum was over.” Mrs Hacker supplied in a tender voice moving to the open kitchen on their left

Putting a kettle over the stove the woman set several mugs out all prepared in the exact same way. Lucifer's way. Two scoops of tea leaves, two lumps of sugar with a cartoon of milk ready to be used after the boiling water had been added in the cups.

“Is that the Fallen Samael _or_ Lord Lucifer _gracing_ us with his presence this morning Mrs Hacker?” A high scratchy voice greeted from the only dark corner.

“Always speaking with a sharp but yet silver tongue, old boy.” Lucifer chuckled approaching the hidden by the oversized armchair bed in the corner of the room. The bright coloured pillows shifted around with the tug of the white cotton sheet and the sound of a breath bursting in and out in excitement filled the room.

“My Lord.” The voice caved suspiciously at the sound of the multiple approaching footsteps.

Protected from the direct sunlight, an overflowing form of flesh was occupying a sturdy copper bed. It could’ve been a shameful secret carefully tucked away, a morbidly obese man hidden away from the prying eyes to be cared efficiently in a remote place like this one. Everything would have pointed to that conclusion if not for the grey flecking and warted skin of its owner. Unsuccessfully Chloe tried to keep Trixie back from the sight yet she could feel small hands curling around her legs, cheek resting on her right thigh refusing to look away.

“Have you been well, spawn?” Lucifer inquired pleasantly with real concern, stroking the ashen skin of what was once perhaps a healthy dimpled face.

Slender fingers reached for Lucifer’s hand and a purring sound came out as a hum from the man’s pale blue lips. Chloe staggered backwards at the sight of a pearly line of sharp teeth when a wide smile was formed on his lips. 

“Tea?” Mrs Hacker offered them joyfully bring close to the bed a platter of small biscuits and an even number of milky cuppas.

“I know you.” Maze clipped her hands just above the handles of her daggers.

“Of course you do Mazikeen.” Lucifer humoured her taking a big sip from his cup and offering the one with the straw to the man on the bed. Sucking slowly Chloe saw his uncommonly pointed ears twitch at every gulp.

“You brought interesting guests Lucifer.” The man said sardonically making an attempt to sit straighter but failing.

A sulk took over his face getting Lucifer to snigger and try to offer some more tea to the man’s pouty lips. An enormous arm was raised enough to deny any more of the steaming beverage and before it disappeared again under the covers, Chloe saw the absence of a pinky on its left hand.

“Brother?” Maze said unemotionally starting to pull out her daggers.

“That would not be necessary Maze, thank you.” Lucifer cut her off with a warning glance before returning back to his cheery self.

“Sister you’ve grown…” The man’s low vibrating voice made Chloe move Trixie back seeing Maze’s hands firmly set on the daggers handles but not drawing them out just yet again.

“Gracefully, pity I cannot say the same for you.” Maze responded scornfully.

“You used to like me, sister.” He said in mock hurt puckering his lips for another sip with Lucifer complying and bringing the straw to his lips.

“Briadach behave! Maze tread carefully! You are not children anymore.” Lucifer warned both calmly patting the spacious seat of the armchair for Trixie to come and join him. More excitedly than it should have been the child took her place next to him and Lucifer gave her the smaller cup of tea with a paper towel.

“Cookie?” Trixie asked watching almost greedily the packed butter biscuits on the tray.

Flickering his eyes on hers, Chloe gave him an uncharacteristic permission to give one to the child and was not surprised when Lucifer took three cookies from the plate. One for him and two for the child.

Munching slowly in a tense incongruous silence, Lucifer dipped his biscuit in his tea before popping it all in his mouth and finishing his tea with a content sigh.

“This was a better than the breakfast you made,” Trixie commented still chewing her first biscuit.

“I always thought it skipped a generation... The lack of refined taste that is.” Lucifer said mournfully staring sceptically at Chloe.

Giving him a dirty look that reviled her daughter's, Chloe exhaled in exasperation.

“Briadach as you might have already guessed this is _not_ a social visit.” Lucifer cleared his throat and snuggled the child closer to his side.

“I do not guess uncle, I simply see the birth and death of everything.” Briadach’s voice dropped several octaves making Chloe shiver, swearing that his microscopic yet seemingly unseen eyes could actually focus on her.

“You have been sick for aeons, bedridden and blind. The exiled leader of the Lilim. I kept my end of the deal and now the time has come where I need your help.” Lucifer admitted carefully noting the immediate reaction of his nephew.

“Our family never makes reunions pleasant, does it not?” The grim man replied bitterly and shifted as much he could closer to Lucifer.

“Not in this eternity my dear boy.”

“You are aware of the limitations my Lord.” Briadach hesitantly reminded him, nostrils flaring.

“It graves me to ask you this for that precise reason. Name your price nephew.” Lucifer gently asked taking the empty cup from Trixie's hands and allowed her to lay on him while she studied the wart covered body across from the armchair.

“The young reeks of light, your light. Cousin?” He asked timidly having Chloe act by taking Trixie in her arms and away from Briadach.

“You assume correctly, and I need to know what is unravelling on this plane of Creation Briadach. For her sake.” Lucifer requested evenly. 

“How noble… How peculiarly different.” Briadach said thoughtfully as if the notion was foreign to himself and Chloe suspected it was for Lucifer as well. 

“Yes, it is a first in this family.” He groaned in disdain to whatever memory was troubling him.  

“Caring, protecting, _loving_ them… I suppose it _is_ true. Unprecedented to this day. I agree, uncle.” 

“Have you seen what I’m requesting from you.” Lucifer turned the conversation forcefully back to where he wanted to, leaving Chloe with several questions on what had happened to both men in the room in the past.

“I want the young and Mazikeen gone. Mrs Hacker as well.” Briadach rasped requesting one more sip of tea.

Lucifer turned to her and with a wave gestured the door from where they had entered the room.

“Upstairs. All of you.” He said meaningfully to Maze but held his eyes on hers.

“Not _her_ uncle. She is like a fresh berry in a hot day.” Briadach chested him as if he was cheating in a game which was just getting to its interesting part.

“Boy…” Lucifer warned the man calmly but the firm shake of the horrid oversized head made him grit his teeth.

Trixie tried to protest when she was passed to Maze’s arms who was as reluctant to leave as Chloe was to stay. When she was sure that both Maze with her daughter along with Mrs Hacker were safely at the other side of the door, she slowly returned to Lucifer’s side.

“First the answer then the price.” Briadach said with a tone of finality which had Lucifer shifting uncomfortably on his seat. He was obviously not used to not call the shots beforehand.

“Let me warn you the lethe water of oblivion is running scarce so it better worth the answer you are about to give me.” Lucifer scolded, his demeanour changing to something wild and predatory.

“The price will be higher and well worth of what you will hear my Lord.” Briadach straightened the sheet around his naked protruding belly.

“I cannot see your beginning nor your end that much you know. Nor can I work around the youth or its mother. Too much light there. Way too blinding.” He said in dismay.

“The answer to what eludes you its _omniscience_. Who has it, who lost it, who craves it? Be warned though that each and every _who_ will lead you to a different direction. A different answer. I would thus advise you to seek one who can create omniscience before you attempt to ask the child to abjure you and all you stand for.” Briadach concluded cryptically.

“You said you could not see her.” Lucifer pointed out eerily calm.

“Human intelligence goes a long way on making sure we know who is on our doorstep.” Briadach raised his shoulders in a failed attempt to shrug.

“You bugged the house.” Lucifer chuckled looking at her gripping the fabric of the armchair. Sobering he turned to the bedridden man and cleared his throat.

“I believe I should brush up my poker skills, correct?’ Lucifer asked carefully bargaining for a more definite answer.

“I’ve seen its birth being witnessed by knowledge itself.” Was the reply he got and it seemed to be enough for what Lucifer was looking out of this meeting.

“And now name your price little one.” Lucifer said gently with the same tenderness he had addressed Briadach the moment they had entered the room.

“I plead you to break my chains. We both know a door is waiting for me or the riffraff of the Lilim.” Briadach requested quickly reaching for Lucifer’s hand that had rested for long on the edge of his mattress.

“Heavens have granted you the sight of the seed and the rot. How long have you known nephew?” Lucifer hoarsely demanded to know reaching as close to Briadach as he could still seated

“You offered me redemption and I accepted but we both know salvation was never in the book for me. Uriel had a purpose… The cards have been dealt, now you have to play. “

Effortlessly Lucifer lifted part of the mattress making Briadach grunt in displeasure. Something small came to Chloe’s view. A handle she could have recognised easily everywhere. A piece of evidence that had gone missing long ago. A murder weapon. It was the blade that had been used to murder over a dozen of people, Lucifer’s brother included nearly two months ago.

“Azrael’s blade. That is the price you request, not the act. You can do that yourself if you desire to end your existence so much.” Lucifer snapped dropping the blade to the white knuckles of his nephew who let out a hiss at the contact.

“Nothingness was something that I knew it was coming long before we ascended to this plane of Creation. My demise now does not prevent me from foreseeing how your act will affect the future even if you remain as obscure as always.”

“You knew about Uriel.” Lucifer accused him, eyes glistering in dampness and liquid fire.

“He knew the patterns. He was aware. As I am. Forgive me but you acting _now_ will prevent you from acting tomorrow and the day after that and so on and so forth.”

“I want to storm out of this room. I need her to forget what she witnessed and what she is about to witness. But as much as I want to look the other way the only one who can is you.” Lucifer gathered the blade in his shaking hand as Briadach’s face was lightened by a radiating smile.

“Lucifer you cannot be considering this!” She caught his hand firmly trying to extract the blade from the lock of his fingers.

“That night you asked me if there ever was a choice. There was, I believe that there is _always_ another way. And I made the choice I could _live_ with. Don’t ask me to regret it, I cannot regret _you_.” He told her cupping her cheek unmistakably fearful of her stepping back and withdrawing from his touch.

“You said it yourself there is _always_ another way.” She pressed still attempting to loose Lucifer's hold around the handle.

“This is a world of patterns Dear. One hit on the ivory keys and you are hit by a car. One man alive and Beatrice may have a fate worse than death. Again do not ask me to choose what I _cannot_ regret.” He said standing up and pushing her lightly backwards.

“Lucifer!”

“Briadach listen to me carefully. You were a _good_ boy. A _deserving_ boy, any father would be proud of. You made mistakes but you need to know that I forgive you. I am _proud_ of you and above all, I really, _really_ came to care... to _love_ you.”

The fine barbed blade broke the skin of Briadach’s upper abdomen eliciting instead of a whimper of pain a sigh of relief. Lucifer leaned over the large body pressing firmer on the sinking inwards by the force fat. Taking a raged breath Lucifer turned to see the man’s face twisting in pain before he curved sharply the knife and the body beneath him fell slack. The thorax collapsed immediately as the muscles underneath the lungs had stopped supporting the body’s breathing. The end came with a silenced moment in time, like most births and deaths tend to occur.

Still pressing the blade deeply into the body the spurt of warm blood coating Lucifer’s hands stopped but the sheet's crimson stain continued to spread. Cradling the imsposbly more pallid body as close as its girth could allow it, Lucifer rocked gently whatever of the lifeless form he could move. There was no anger to distract him this time like it had been with Father Frank only his sorrow over the loss of a man that he still viewed as a child, according to his circumstance.

“You were a _good_ boy. So good. So proud. So good until I failed you. _So good_.” Lucifer breathed at Briadach’s no longer hearing ears. The chanting continued over and over as grief was settling on Lucifer’s shoulders only to melt down to guilt but never regret.

“Lucifer…” Chloe placed a hand on his still shaking shoulders allowing her need to comfort him, to move it up to his collarbone and through his hair.

“I’ve failed him.” He screamed unconsoled gathering the body closer not caring if his skin was painted on the blood he had spilled.

“Imbrael failed him not you.” She murmured bringing her front in contact with his bear back. As if he was pulled by the gravity of her presence behind him, Lucifer let Briadach’s body fall gently back on the bed. Carefully she drew the edge of the sheet and covered the body with Lucifer always watching. Laid on her body he allowed himself to be at her mercy.

“Imbrael. How?” He asked with his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“Maze” She replied and tried to sway his body with hers in an attempt to relieve his tension. The Devil or not he was always a man in motion and had always needed that in times of pain. The piano at his penthouse had been her first clue. 

“I'm conscious of your need for answers. Of your terror over the present circumstances and of your wish to get away from here. From me. I’ll not stop you. I’ll not follow you if you don’t want me to. Just please. Not now. I need time. I cannot fail _another_ child again.” Letting his head fall on her stomach he looked upwards to see her response in case it was a non-verbal one.

His eyes were still burning coals, all-consuming where they should have given her a sense of balefulness they initiated her to trust him. His most unsettling feature was the most captivating and warmingly familiar one. Since her childhood years, during the cold winter nights, she craved dozing whilst watching the flames lick the burning wood. It offered her a primitive sense of comfort and security as her father had always told her. 

“I cannot _fail_ _her_.” He pleaded closing his eyes refusing her the sight of their burning depths.

In lieu of giving him an answer, Chloe stroked his hair down to his forehead, trailing the smooth skin above his temples. ' _No horns'_. One unspoken answer to an unspoken question down and just a million more to go.

“As you wish.” She murmured under the rising sun, praying for sanity the first time in twenty years.

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs Used for this Entry:

[The Dark - Beth Crowley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMkz9JF7teY)

_Lost one_  
_Tell me do you want to be found_  
_You caught me_  
_Moments before I hit the ground_  
  
_And I hear_  
_Voices screaming to run away_  
_Yet I see_  
_Not black and white but silver and gray_

 

[Still Here - Digital Daggers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2C6G3PCpqw)

_Back to the shadows_  
_With all I hold dear._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) This was a wild and heavily packed with new information and characters chapter. My main worry is what you think about the revelation scene and do you think Chloe dealt with this as you thought she would? Meaning tv series aside, was her reaction a proper one for this storyline? 
> 
> 2) I mentioned Maze's brother, Briadach a lot in the previous chapters so I was hinting his appearance but unfortunately, he was not the culprit. I have given several clues but right now we are blending in this fic a lot of comic's details so the tv series audience might get a bit confused. Good. I think you will really like where this is going.  
> I have mentioned what is going to happen in the next chapters to some people and they seem more than surprised and satisfied on how the plot will progress and eventually wrap up in the end. Hopefully, when the times comes you will share their sentiments. 
> 
> 3) I don't plan on writing chapters of this length again for this story. If I had included and the fourth scene I had planned it would have been around 14K so I think I did well. Also if you wanted to ask this, no I couldn't break the chapter in two or three chapters this time. The bond between Lucifer and Trixie had to pass directly to the loss of another child Lucifer really cared about. Additionally, that death will have a great significance on how Lucifer will act in the next chapters. Not to mention that it also gives you some clues you cannot really spot yet. 
> 
> 4) Hopefully, after this, you will still be with me until the end of this ride... I have many more characters to explore as well as many unnoticed details to introduce, so I really hope when this story reaches its conclusion you will share with me your thoughts about this crazy story of mine.
> 
> 5) The hours of sunset and sunrise have been changed to fit the plot. I'm sorry about that.
> 
> 6) You can always find me on Tumblr talking about theories, spoilers and of course just playing around with Lucifer.


	17. Hallow Control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Hallow Control:
> 
> In the aftermath of Briadach's demise, Chloe has reached her breaking point while Lucifer believes he knows who the culprit is behind his attack and ring snatching. 
> 
> At the same time, Lucifer and Chloe need to confront each other and themselves in a discussion that contains ugly truths and uncomfortable admissions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a long time and for that I apologise. 
> 
> Hopefully, this chapter will be as good as the previous ones. Hopefully... 
> 
> Happy 100.000 by the way... We made it this far when I was expecting this story to reach only the 30K...
> 
> Happy Halloween!

* * *

 

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**Hallow Control**

 

**31st of December, 2016 08:42 AM**

**San Gabriel Mountains**

 

Human physiology eluded him. Since Lucifer had been kicked mercilessly and brought on his knees on the kitchen’s floor, a stilling numbness had settled in his always racing mind. That torpor had then spread veraciously to his leftover emotions. He had been left a shell of a man before calmly stepped out of the room where now a child lay lifeless.

Hands still sleek from the blood that refused to dry on his hands, Lucifer’s attempt to steady himself on the handrail across her was futile. In frustration, he swept his palms on the creased shirt letting the stain spread. The soft cotton was quickly absorbing the evidence of his sinful action under Chloe’s hard stare.

Her forehead wrinkled in distaste, eyes narrowing on the now painted maroon textile. Despite her reassurance, she wouldn’t flee a shift in the air physically was now carrying her away. Thin, pallid fingers gripped her coat squeezing her petite figure tighter. She was trying to occupy a place in the corner as far from him as possible and for the Bigot’s heavenly throne Lucifer could not blame her.

“Don’t do that.” Lucifer firmly sighed looking with an unimpassioned steady stare his pinkish tinted hands.

“My child is up there.” She hissed urging him to understand, and Chloe would never realize how much he did actually understand.

He had just driven a dagger through the guts of a child he had seen being conceived, born and taking its first steps in hopes to shelter another one. Lucifer wished the future was indeed, but certain actions were always linked. Patterns worked that way Uriel always insisted. A future was marginalised morbidly upon the sins of a father who was actively dooming his beloved child.

“The spawn is safe.” He brushed her off waving his hand before he saw Chloe’s feature constrict into a grimace.

“Trixie is a-...a child Lucifer-“ Chloe’s stammer echoed in the confining space followed by a hard metal crush.

“Hence the problem!” Lucifer growled bending to examine the damage he had done on the now unmoving cabin.

“How bad is it?” She demanded to know peering over his shoulder to see the button panel thankfully only jammed and not crushed under the force of his fist.

Pressing the emergency bell, Lucifer raised to his full height only to sink with a thud down to the floor.

“Mrs Hacker will have us up in less than two minutes. It has happened before.”

The burning on the tip of his ears must have been visible, but thankfully he had managed to keep a sober face over his admission. Lucifer always had a temper, and thankfully Chloe was well aware of that fact. Embarrassment could thus probably pass for frustration if he avoided any direct eye-contact.

“Why am I not surprised?” She breathed rolling her eyes making Lucifer wonder if she would take advantage of his sitting position to stumble over him.

It would have worked; a treacherous voice mocked, emotionally he was halfway there already.

“Lucifer will Trixie..?” Her voice was shaking again the way his hands were hidden in his pockets.

He had been expecting her to question him about that sooner or later as the little one always took priority in her life. It would take some more time to admit he had tied the woman’s existence tightly to the one of her child’s a long time ago.

“Souls are not commodities. You cannot sale them, nor you can lose them but taint them? Oh, that happens easily.” He gravely began fisting his hands from betraying his so far concealed turmoil.

“He was tainted then.” Her voice carried the relived conviction that heir child was safe from facing the same future. No turning into a sickly mass of flesh was though dismissed by the slight shaking of his head.

“Briadach never had a soul. Father’s joke if you like. A soul needs to have a purpose in His plan otherwise it has no reason to exist.” It had taken him aeons to realise why certain souls made into this world and why some withered in Dad’s bassinet.

“Trixie has a soul. She is human!” Chloe insisted but failed to convince him as he knew better.

“Soulless creatures either have killed an angel like Maze or have been created by one.” His eerie calmness tore him as much as it was now shredding her.

“But Briadach refused to accept that, so experiments had to be done.” There was a pained admission of what he had allowed to carry on for centuries before he has lost the child’s favour.

“Mrs Hacker seems fine!” She swallowed hopefully eliciting a ruthful smile from him.

“In the case of Mrs Hacker the end comes with no expectations as eternity does not exist but Bridach wanted the reassurance that no matter how many times he passed away, he would always return home.” Lucifer had at least given him that a piece of the Creations darkest places to call his.

Had he been better than his Father? Granting Briadach a place to ‘rule’ and call his, had backfired in both cases.

“Home?” Chloe questioned aware that the answer would not have been a lavish condo in Malibu.

“Up until five years ago a tiniest of parts in Hell. For some it is home, a sanctuary for the Lilim and Briadach did his part as their leader but… He wanted out.” The dullness in his dry mouth should have warned him.

The boy had come crawling claiming he knew of Lucifer’s impending vacation plans and for an unexplainable reason he had caved. In every plan the Lord of Hella had made, Breadach occupied a small part at the back of his mind. Exactly like the construction of this house had been. A tiny comfort that he had at least offered the boy not once but twice a home.

“So you took him to an infinite family road trip.” An air of experience could be detected in her words which made Lucifer wonder what constituted a family trip for her.

“He was the only one willing to take it with me.” Lucifer admitted remembering Maze kick and scream over his first dropping hints of searching for a way out of Hell. That had been some very awkward centuries…

“I need time to think, alone. Can I trust Mrs Hacker with Trixie?” She was getting restless in the small space, practically standing over him Lucifer could see her boots tapping anxiously.

“Only with Maze.” When the doors opened, she would bolt outside, and there were only so many places she could find shelter to hide for a while.

Picking the flesh around his slowly swelling hangnail, Lucifer wondered if the limits he set would hold. In a different reality, this story would have been just the two of them. She would have reacted differently, got drunk perhaps even set already a path to where this between them was leading.

Yet this was a world where unwelcome truths had still to be told, where she would be simply a human and their main worry would be an awfully perceptive 9-year old girl. Their -the cosmos help them- child.

“Close your jacket and wash your hands before she sees you.” Chloe instructed him feeling the cabin started to move.

Removing her hairband, Chloe let a veil of blood hair cover her worry sharped features away from whoever was waiting for them at the top. He could tell there was something painfully beautiful in her action that made him stand in his full high again.

The elevator came to a gentle stop with Chloe stepping out of the cabin without looking back. Her shoulders stiff with a straight spine screaming him to get a backbone somewhere in his divinely born body.

Light steps raced towards their direction having Lucifer take a hand out and stop the little body from following her mother into the bathroom. A huff of displeasure left the small struggling body under his open palm as the door closed, and Lucifer heard the door clicking behind her.

The suddenly erratic breaths that rattled under his touch forced him to tear his eyes away from the door and into the impossibly widened eyes anchored on a spot above his midsection. Backing away from his hand, Lucifer found himself missing the warmth and reassurance such a tiny creature had offered him just seconds ago.

For the first time, her eyes resembled so much of her mother’s. There was no accusation or fear in them only a solemn understanding of what the man across them was really capable of. Closing hurriedly his jacket Lucifer could feel the dried blood cracking between his flexing palm lines.

“Is he?” Like everything upon her, Trixie’s small voice carried the question.

Unable to answer he laid the back of his knuckles on the back of her jaw before tucking the always wild curly strands behind her ear. Eyes fluttered whether to hold back the tears or by revolution he would never know.

“I’m sorry.” Lucifer offered her, and she extended her arms.

Realising what she was requesting he effortlessly raised Beatrice in his arms before turning to face the two women in the living room. Mrs Hacker was exceptionally calm as if she had expected this outcome when she had left him alone with her charge of over four years.

“You didn’t” Maze had spotted all the clues from the brownish residue under his nails to the set of his jaw.

“Not now darling, not now.” The child had rested on the crook of his neck, and he would swear several  
sizzling teardrops had escaped under his collar.

“He trusted you; he loved you.” His up until recently reserved Lilim accused him hissing while reaching for the kitchen. Undoubtedly the butter knives would do wonders in her skilled hands.

A long raw and uneasy exhale caught his attention.

“You scare the child.” Lucifer admonished reaching for the hollow spot between the petite shoulderblades.

“No, you do that.” Invading his personal space had always been welcomed until this very moment. A primal need to protect what was progressively relaxing in his arms caused him to tower the woman, his hand leaving the back of the child to massage the base of her neck soothingly.

“Do I have to spell it? He had no soul, at least not the one that would offer him the oblivion he begged for!” His reasonable consolation was less threatening that Lucifer had planned on unleashing which surprised both parties.

“The sword?” The dawning realisation of where Lucifer had kept that forsaken piece of destruction was the only comfort that was left over the boy’s demise.

Steadying the now pacified Beatrice in one head he revealed the still soiled by blood blade. Cleaning on his pants just above the buttock’s faux-pocket, he presented it to Maze always keeping an eye to where the child would look next. Satisfied she had opted to close her eyes tightly Lucifer set it on the kitchen counter, away from them both.

“The boy would have been tied and nailed on my throne by the Lilim before his body was cold. Misran would have loved the opportunity. Little-B knew, and I believed him.” Reverting back to the only nickname he had ever granted aside to him, Lucifer allowed Maze to see the depth of his inconsolable sorrow.

“Like you did then.” She whispered understanding what he had sacrificed all over again.

The first time it had cost him his standing and soon after his status in the Silver City and his purity followed. All that because Father was not keen on swiping after his own messes.

“Like I always did regardless of the circumstances.” The price of his actions once again hanged heavily over both their heads for the second time in their long eternity.

“Or the evidence.” Maze nodded in understating, and Lucifer shifted the young over for her to catch.

When he was satisfied that both his companion through eternity so far and the only part of him he currently was fond of, were calm and reassured Lucifer turned to gaze at the locked bathroom door fleetingly.

“I believe you need to think. You are your mother’s daughter after all. Maze?” He asked her nodding at Beatrice on her lap which was now squirming to be let down.

Signaling that she understood exactly what she had been instructed to do Maze grabbed the Corvette’s keys from the bowl on the kitchen counter.

“Wait!” Mumbling what sounded like ancient profanities Lucifer disappeared in the bedroom and reappeared with the bedsheets and a fresh shirt.

Maze looked at him inquisitively when Lucifer handed her the hastily folded sheet.

“No belts.” Trixie lamented disapprovingly dragging Maze to the door.

Lucifer rolled his eyes pinching the anchor of his nose.

“When should I-?” Maze asked always fighting the aggressive pulls of the giggling child already outside the house.

“You will know.” Watching the gathered clouds outside the window, he wanted at least Beatrice as far away until this storm had passed.

The door was left hanging open, the chill making Mrs Hacker unmoving lean figure secure her shawl close to her body. Closing the door was only prevented by a wild thought the child itself had planted in his head during their long drive yesterday.

Climbing the stairs up to the roof, Lucifer could only shout hoping that Maze would catch his words in the already speeding wing looming over them.

“Do not let her drive!” He roared between coughing to the self-proclaimed demon eyes following the raised cloud of dust the Corvette left behind.

Hearing the tires screech and the vehicle slow down his perplex only grows as to why he felt so protective over the child again.

Safe in the house Mrs Hacker met his eyes, face stay, but the constricting cheeks told him she is holding back tears. As much as he was unsettled to see anyone in more pain right now, he ignored her. Sometimes to be left alone is a blessing and he respected that.

Frustrated Lucifer removed the jacket jerkily and ripped the buttons from the stained cloth. Tug after tug, his chest was finally free with the shirt thrown on the kitchen’s floor before throwing both of them in the now overflowing trash under the sink and washes his hands. The blood had sipped in his pores and refused to be removed without a good scrub.

Always avoiding Mrs Hacker who appeared to be unaffected by his upper body nudity Lucifer slipped into the shirt he had grabbed earlier from the bedroom. It was not much, but it kept him warm, just enough to not be distracted for what he needed to do next.

Taking out his phone, Lucifer found the person's contact who he was now thankful he bailed out a few months ago. His thumb was just brushing the smooth edges of the phone, as he found himself distracted by the still closed and locked door, only now the unbearing silence had been replaced by the sound of water running.

He hoped she would be out soon because as much as he was unwilling to admit it, he felt lost without her for something as trivial as this call.

“Miss Hilman, I request your services sans the police interference this time of course.” The pleasantness could have fooled the average human, but in this case, the woman had every reason not to trust him.

“You cost me a lot Mr Morningstar so why should I even bother after the last time?” Her acerbic tone was clear that in this part of Creation, money would have to do the talking again and Lucifer was more than happy to oblige.

“Because I can cost you even more or I can make you a wealthy woman. Your choice.”

It had been a fascinating experience to see what led many to Hell. Wealth and greed were often renounced in hopes of an upward mobility, and yet here things were vastly different.

The pregnant pause in the line was enough of a clue to know he held her attention.

“I need you to find someone. Somewhere in the less respectable side of the city, there must be a little place with a fireplace and books… A lot of books. It should be dark, not overly sunny with a notorious reputation of its owner’s contrivance.”

Lucifer always prided for his exceptional memory, and there was only one person who could give him the answers he was looking for. Briadach had been probably correct. Do not dig in the past when the one you seek is concerned with the future.

“That’s all?” Ronnie Hilman asks him dubiously expecting a more shady deal but she sounded pleased enough Lucifer supposed.

“Search, and you will know once you have found it but do not approach the establishment for any reason.” There was always an allure of preceding purity in the pieces of divinity that would draw any unassuming human soul.

“Your cash and better be a lot!” Ronnie chewed loudly her gum making Lucifer to exhale in relief that he was not sending a clean soul to do his bidding.

“I promise you six figures if you can find it, seven if it’s within the next 24 hours.” The chewing stopped mid-way with a low whistle of amazement just making it to his ears.

“Always the gentleman Mr Morningstar.” The sultry tone was back promising to deliver what Lucifer had requested within the later timeframe.

The weather had started getting chilly again as he knew that would be the case considering the circumstances. Dad was not meteorologically inclined indeed, but nature opposed to any logic when it could sense the loss that had occurred this morning.

Numb treacherous fingers still blemished at their edges by the spilt familial blood lost over and over again tried to grip his mother pearl buttons. The cold was setting quickly but in his haste to remove the soiled garments he had not noticed the dried red smudges on his stomach. A revisit to the sink was unfortunately in order then.

Every single movement of his was observed with passive interest by the older woman across the room. The glint in her eyes at the sight of the stained unblemished flesh caused both of them to catch their breath on the enormous gravity of the situation. A part of the family, by the lack of any other word, was gone.

“Tell me Mrs Hacker… Do you ever regret knowing?” Using the dishes sponge, Lucifer cleaned his quivering by the cold water pectoral area.

“Every single day.” A tormented sigh shattered all the hope he had so tentatively tucked away.

“Every single second.” The strong woman Lucifer had hunted down in the English countryside almost five years ago was now looking with uncertainty the L.A. basin outside the window.

The droplets trailing down his trousers’ edges were dumping the fabric under the belt providing him with a welcoming distraction.

“Do not compare our circumstances, my dear boy.” She said offhandedly as if he was only a boy and perhaps he was in her eyes. He always had been.

It had been the first warm days of spring when Lucifer had found her planting a perfect row of seeds on the still hard frozen soil. She had welcomed him with the same sweet, thick accent revealing years of experience blended with mournful sorrow.

“I fear I will drive them unknowingly off the edge. I might have already done it.” Dark eyes settled once more on the closed bathroom door, ears perking for any sign of how exactly Chloe was dealing with this reality.

“You were always so good in assuming things. My line was a desired result, a design without an obvious reason or purpose.” That had been his harsh words almost five years ago but out of her lips sounded almost comforting.

“Yet you are the same. Soulless, frail, according to many, dangerous.” The game had been stopped, but the cards were still playing. Every card knew its power and was not about to withhold its power and return to the fold.

“Indeed he created us with a sole purpose. To become woodfire and eventually smoke. He was cradling the seeds along with the axe at the same hand.” The resentment had lived through her line until they could no longer name what they were anathematising or why.

“Will that difference be enough?” That woman was the only link Lucifer had to a bleak future so far.

“For someone who always wanted to know the future, he was too caught up on controlling the grand finales. You-“

A soul-rattling sharp shattering blare had two sets of weary eyes settled on the ever closed glossy white door.

Silence had always unnerved him. It was never a sign of peacefulness or a bearer of good news. It was the calm before the storm currently with the same humidity settling in his struggling for breath lungs.

“Detective?” Lucifer croaked realising that the storm was indeed upon them waiting for none to pour down.

His fingertips touched the lustrous hard surface of the door hesitantly, commanding his body to remain upright and wishing he had not overestimated her ability to cope. Lucifer had undoubtedly miscalculated his capacity to stay calm as well trimmed nails dug into the soft wood.

Doubt gripped him as he enclosed his long fingers around the cold handle which refused to cooperate under his commanded turning. She had locked the door from the inside he knew that. Of course, she had.

A crash accompanied by a short-lived gasp left him no room for guessing or trusting her anymore. Not now.

It took only a hard flick of his wrist for the lock to slice effortlessly through the mass of metal and wood at its path. The hinges never creaked as the door finally opened soundlessly. At the deafening sight, the sound would have been more than welcomed once again that evening.

“Mr-“ Mrs Hacker attempted to shake him off his daze, but he was already too far gone. Her spilt blood would always do that to him.

Lucifer had been a curious child and an unbearable adult when it came to questioning the world around him, the actions of those surrounding him and sometimes the lack of them. It had finally taken him twenty billion of years to realise that not all questions could be answered. The most intriguing one was and would always be…

“Why?”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chloe turned the key quickly in the hole, but it delivered an absolution when the lock separated her from the existence of a cosmological argument behind just a piece of wood. Voices still carried on easily from the living room, letting her know that she needed to dig somewhere deeper to find the seclusion of being and mind she needed so desperately.

Her shaky hand swept over her forehead not noticing the cold moisture sheen over it. Tucking the loose hair behind her ears, Chloe started noticing the trivial details.

Soft creme tiles, nine in height multiplied by eleven at the bottom with eight lines between the first and ten between the second. Two halogen lights over the mirror but four soft sunlight ones on the ceiling. One sink, toilet and shower but three midnight blue towels. Two freshly clean, one untouched.

It was a tactic of survival and retaining sanity when her thoughts threatened to overwhelm her. She wondered if counting the toilet papers’ sheets would help and the roll was already in her hands as she sagged on the walk-in shower. Between the shower and the porcelain basin, Chloe did not find a selected choice of coping but the ultimate surrender.

Four layers on each sheet and eighteen folded sheets from the unrolling toilet paper had already been counted. Seventy-two layers so far were gone but how many more to unroll and fold carefully in her lap before the paper started to protest under its new folding pattern?

When she had seen the two lines of her pregnancy test deepening in colour years ago, it had been in a very different bathroom. Then the number of folding sheets had reached her record of 783. Almost two hundred more than after being informed of her father’s fatal shooting. Then there had been just 439 sheets before she had been dragged out of her sanctuary and was forced to deal with the world by her mother.

“My baby…”

Four point one pounds and oh so small. So frighteningly small. Chloe had expected milky blue eyes, but when the newborn open her long eyelids, bleary obsidian greeted her. She had never looked away ever since.

Her lifeline all these years had been a pair of dark brown orbs always looking around curiously at the world around them. Learning, crying, judging more times that it should have been possible for her young age. That soulfulness and understanding had taken her by a storm ever since Trixie had been minutes old.

‘Soulless.’

What does a souls worth account for after-all according to Lucifer? It was but a ticket to a destination Chloe had never cared to invest into emotionally or logically.

She had shared her body at one point with her daughter. What kind of rules would prevent her from also sharing a soul at some point? Which brought Chloe to the issue she was unwilling to acknowledge fully yet. Lucifer Morningstar had fathered her child. Lucifer Morningstar was something quite literally out of this world.

“More like under this world.” She chuckled in a daze, dizziness threatening to severe the last threads of sanity she had been left with.

Grasping the edges of the basin, Chloe dragged with difficulty herself upwards. Opening the tap she let the water to fall hopping her thoughts; her very reality would disappear down in the drain as well.

The list was so long. Jimmy Burns screaming as she fell into a light hemorrhagic shock. Jimmy recovering from his stupor only to smash repeatedly his forehead on the psychiatry’s plexiglass. Oh, how his blood had been smearing the view of the panicked murderer. Then Benny screeching his lungs out as Lucifer loomed over him. Lindsay Jolson…. The gone rogue El Diablo member falling off the roof…

So many and yet how many she had missed?

Scenes filled with the cacophony of the human caterwauling pierced her ears. Gripping the sides of her head, fanning fingers dug forcefully into the soft flesh of her scalp.

Fuzzy thoughts had only one image in common. The same deep brown eyes her daughter shared with her father. Flashing in anger, mirth or with downright cheeky determination before she could spot how lost he really felt sometimes. How he was so baffled with the world sometimes.

Lucifer had been a contradiction since the first day. Joyful yet vengeful, everything on him was a blending between a sober resolution and a jesting teasing. Unbalanced, threatening to tilt over every single time and still uniquely him.

“Who are you?” The question lingered between her and the ashen looking woman reflecting back from the mirror.

“Who are you?” Chloe repeated again sensing the roots of her nails protesting on the gradually increasing applied pressure.

Forcefully she removed her hands from her head in hopes that the lightheadedness would leave her in company with only the hammering headache. Her focus was lost, and the heels of her hills were giving into her weight. Somewhere between the floor and her droplets left behind on the mirror from her fingers, there was still the pile of toilet paper.

She had lost count. She had lost count of the sheets, the days, herself and him. Of Dan and Trixie. Of life itself sometimes as well.

Refusing to give in to where her body was forcefully dragging her, a fist collided with the mirror. There was nothing to get a hold of aside from shreds of slowly falling, glimmering pieces. The ground was waiting for her and losing control she finally welcomed its coldness.

Somewhere in the background, there would be more pieces falling in a memory that left her freezing on the previously soothing chillness of the floor.

Levitating one of her hands Chloe stopped the invading fluorescent light from stinging her eyes while thickly wet droplets made their way on her nose and down to her cheeks.

“Who are you?”

The confusion was not enough to bring her back to reality until the harsh lighting disappeared behind an approaching figure. Fiery yet mournful eyes met hers accusingly.

Never before the definition of a person had ever come as a question leaving their very own lips.

“Why?”

 

* * *

 

 

Her eyes didn’t seem to be able to focus on his yet Lucifer could hear her breathing accelerate. She didn’t appear to be in pain despite the drying trails of blood on her ashen face. Inspecting the broken mirror he had was relieved not finding any large amount of blood among the shattered pieces.

Lucifer unable to question her actions, kneeled just enough to get a handful of the scattered toilet paper from the floor. Although spotted red in a few places, he gently wiped with it the smudges off her face finding himself relaxing when there were no cuts to be found underneath.

“Are you cold?” She was freezing under his light touches and with a dip of her head, Chloe confirmed what he already knew.

Slipping the last clean towel from the hanger Lucifer wrapped it around her. She clutched the edges close to her body closing her eyes unaware that Lucifer could now see her gashed right knuckles.

Placing a freshly soaked, in lukewarm water, toilet paper on her aggravated flesh he was pleased to hear his Detective hiss and the light returning in her eyes.

“Lucifer what did you feed the poor child? There is nothing in here!” Mrs Harsh scolded in displeasure from the kitchen.

Lucifer should have known the woman’s first response would be to make a fresh pot of tea. Looking at Chloe’s slightly shivering frame he wondered if he was taking too many liberties yet she was not cowering in his presence.

“Detective, would it be alright if I carried you to the couch?” He figured her legs wouldn't be able to carry her at the moment, something that her flashing annoyance tried to refuse before caving with a short nod.

“Alright. I’ll put one of my hands under your legs and one behind your back. Is that acceptable?” Lucifer questioned her again searching for any sign of discomfort.

Aside from wave of annoyance, he could not see the seed of crippling fear which Lucifer had witnessed earlier in her eyes, as he laid on the floor cupping his privates that morning. Satisfied enough with the unspoken permission he placed his hands in the safest regions he could find before lifting her from the floor and into his arms.

Not wanting to prolong their bodies touching for her sake, Lucifer took several long strides towards the living room and placed her on the window’s couch. The view he hoped would be able to give her a sense of freedom and at the same time place her closer to the door if she wanted to walk out eventually.

“Here you go dear.” A milky tea mug was planted on her trembling lips by Mrs Harst effectively moving him away from both women.

This house was never meant to be used as a bolt safe house but a facade for the building’s real purpose. Hiding, a very temperamental Briadach. With great dismay, Lucifer saw Chloe take a bite of the obviously stale, onions and sour cream crackers he had left behind in the fridge months ago. The altered taste and texture didn’t faze her as she devoured every single one she was offered by the very patient older woman who was now sitting right beside her almost sheltering her from him. 

“When was the last time you ate?” It wasn’t meant to come out as a criticism yet when her eyelids fluttered, as if trying to remember when indeed was the last time she had a proper meal, Lucifer’s eyes hardened.

“I had something before… No, was it the night before the trial? I don’t remember…” Even a simple thinking process was taking a lot out of her for Lucifer’s liking.

“Almost two whole days, what were you thinking?” He growled searching the cupboards for anything worthwhile knowing he could no longer get to the lower level for any of the stockpiled provisions.

“Yes, what was _I_ thinking, I wonder?” Chloe snapped at him feeling obviously a lot like herself with every cracker she consumed.

Mrs Hacker shushed him with a glare from the couch leaving Lucifer returning the hard stare which didn't amuse the woman one bit.

“Can I trust you both to remain civil while I make some quick lunch boxes downstairs?” Mrs Hacker all but asked Chloe ignoring Lucifer’s pout on being left out.

“I suppose…” Chloe trailed looking at him regressing back to his childish temperament.

Filling a steaming mug Lucifer sat across her on the couch eyeing her almost finished drink. Earl Grey was always great to have in days such as this one. Winter was setting well on this part of the mountains this year.

“Would you mind if I took some of your tea. We are out of milk…”

Before sipping from his tea he already had snatched hers and was pouring the hot dark liquid in her mug. Swirling the cup around a few times he appeared to be satisfied with the umber colour inside hers. Dripping but a couple of well-calculated drops in his, Lucifer returned the no longer lukewarm cup in her icy hands.

“It was never about the milk was it?” Chloe chuckled wrapping her fingers around the warm ceramic mug.

“You cannot prove a man wrong on how he wants his tea Detective.” He brushed her off, concentrating on the floating loose tea leaves and bergamot zest.

Lucifer was aware he could not postpone the inevitable forever. Whether she had lost her composure and bodily function due to low blood pressure or the shock knocking her off finally, it was time to open if not all their cards at least most of them, on the table.

“I didn’t lie downstairs. I do know a part of you but not all of you and there lies the problem Lucifer.” Her voice was soft, yet sepulchrally deep.

“What do you need?” Lucifer had very little to hide at this point but he knew with utmost certainty, that he would not ever be the one to take the first step in the other direction. That was her choice and her choice alone.

“Today? Every detail that affects me and my child. Can you give me that?” Chloe refused to take her eyes away from the dark grey clouds over the forest that he supposed would make any of the following spoken words easier.

“I’ll not sugar coat it Detective. The Devil wanted to take a vacation and his Dad decided to make sure he would eventually return back to where he was cast out, free will be damned.” He felt the grimness overtake him and that said a lot when you were on friendly terms with Sandman himself.

“Why a vacation? Why now?” She pressed, her face betraying the raw curiosity of a person who was used in an almost sacred routine.

“What changed, that is a good question. Some could say I was bored but the thing is that the stench had started become a part of me and I was losing focus of the light. For a Fallen angel once called the Lightbringer that was… disturbing.” The unsteady faraway look talked more of just the loss of light but Lucifer only had to comply with her demand on what was concerning her and the child.

He didn't have to offer anything more. Nothing ever again, as he had promised aeons ago.

“So one fine day I started planning my leave but I was aware that if I wanted to have some pleasant time up here, I would need the right resources and so certain contacts had to be made to assure my comfort.”

“Money.” She deadpanned and Lucifer nodded in agreement. As he had told her the first time they had met, humans just loved money and so money he would have. Plenty of it. 

“A few favours here and there and I was granted access to this plane of existence for a night to arrange the final details. That’s when I was practically chased at a beach and was prompted to engage in certain _relations_.” He shifted uncomfortably peering over his cup for her reaction.

“A beach?” She asked still clueless to which he blamed the tiredness of two stressful days. 

“In Australia. I was walking my merry way under the moonlight to meet the man who would help me achieve my initial plan and there I was immobilized on the sand by a very feisty woman.” The rosy warmth creeping in her cheeks told him she remembered exactly what he was talking about but the pleasure of her embarrassment was too great to stop now.

“So she starts fondling me and as they say one thing led to the other and… It was a disaster really.” He admitted letting all his turmoil out for her to see.

“As far as I remember you were a two pump chap so don’t talk me about disasters Lucifer!” He affronted manner was enough for him to chuckle on the irony of the situation.

“Yeah… I don’t know what was worse actually. Losing my virginity in such an undignified manner or conceiving an innocent being that night, Unfortunately neither-“ Could he explain to her what had really had happened that night. Would she be able to carry on with that knowledge and yet he had no other choice but to tell her.

“Excuse Me?” He had no idea what had bothered her more or picked her interest at the same time. Probably both.

“Yes, can we please move on from that _tiny_ detail?” His ears were burning again and the empty cup could have been the Holy Grail itself by the fascination he put on admiring its every detail.

“Deflowering the Devil tends to be a bit a big deal, Deflowering Lucifer Morningstar is nationwide breaking news!” She snickered at his discomfort but he was glad he had offered her some amusement before the real news hit her hard.

“It was by the lack of any other appropriate word, rape. Mental and physical rape Detective. Please do see the seriousness in all that.” He begged her, hating to see the shift on her features from mirth turn to raw distress.

“I believe I know what it was and you were as willing as I was.” She sputtered uneasily gathering the towel closer to her mouth muffling in the process her words.

“Your birth was very much designed, perhaps even the child’s one. With who did you believe you were with that night? Be honest.” The wounded expression in her face and the chewing of her bottom lip was a confirmation enough.

“Dan.” Chloe admitted faintly.

“You were told you were a miracle and that is true but that alone brings us to this point at hand. You are immune to many things where I'm concerned but not in the way that _actually_ matters Chloe.” The use of her name caught her attention.

His hunched posture did not give any good omens on his next words and they both knew it. It was a great grievance to know your actions were never out of your own free will.

“I’ll not apologize for what I am. I like sex, drugs, drinking and being more mischievous than any human in this world. That’s who and _what_ I am. I cannot change and neither can you but we can acknowledge…” Rubbing his eyes he couldn’t bear to look at her while delivering these words.

‘We have to acknowledge that we were played masterfully but you should know that I cannot walk away from this.” Lucifer finished still not daring to gaze anywhere else but to his fidgeting feet.

“Bullshit.” Chloe whispered taking another sip of her tea.

Lucifer sharply raised his head but she didn’t not grace him with a glimpse of her slate blue eyes.

“That’s your all grand explanation comes to? _Fatalism_?” The mocking cruelty reaching the surface was not missed by his ears.

“My Dad was a believer, he always had an unmeasurable amount of faith but he was _never_ a fatalist.” She was talking in an inaudible but most persistent conviction of what the universe was built upon.

“My Father, who happens to be _God_ , was rather clear on how plans work in his domain.” Lucifer contradicted her stubbornly.

“And yet here you are on Earth, without wings, assisting the law enforcement and insisting you are not evil although you are certainly the Devil. How does that work for you exactly?” Chloe challenged him, tapping thoughtfully her now healthier looking cheek.

“When I got to Australia I had leather black wings and no genitals. Then I got back to Hell white as a dove, with a new appendage and two balls!” Frustrated Lucifer got to the kitchen and dived into the trash looking for the flask inside his previously absent-minded, discarded jacket.

“Although I really want to ask a lot about _that_ , what do you expect me to believe my whole existence as a muppet show? Even my Dad believed in the value of an individual’s actions above and before God’s involvement.”

“Well your Dad didn’t know the Almighty, did he now?” Lucifer taunted her instantly regretting his brutally striking words.

A wounded expression veiled her face. Chloe turned to the couch's pillows to hide her audible to Lucifer, soft sniffling. The memory of a man who Lucifer had never met, had been ridiculed for his need to expose Chloe to what was the truth he knew for millennia now. 

“I never meant it that way.” He muttered unscrewing the cap and taking a quick shot of whatever was left in the flask.

“Yes, you did. You don’t see it but I do. You are not just angry with him, you _fear_ him.” A centuries-old preaching indeed rang true.

“I…-. I do. Sometimes… He wanted me dead after the rebellion, Mum interfered.” The pain over that revelation had never healed and he was sure Chloe could see how much that had affected him.

“Then you come in my life, not affected by my powers and you even bloody shot at me. You made me _bleed_. Die…”

Shaking his head he wondered if that was the plan all along. A long imprisonment with the cruellest ending. Being eradicated from Creation from the hand of the person you had come to care most about. But was it her or the child?

“So you believe I’m just an assassination plan in motion? Are you crazy? Scratch that, you are!” She asked him incredulously while he still kept his distance looking outside the window.

“No, I’m an addict in a way and He knows I’ll never willingly walk away from you and certainly not from Beatrice. I guess only time will tell.” Lucifer shrugged surrendering to whatever his life with her around him, would mean for his future down the road.

It had started, and Lucifer could not tear his eyes away from what it would last for only a few heartbreakingly beautiful minutes. Reaching the edge of the couch he never bothered to warn her. Like with Beatrice earlier today Lucifer cupped the elegant high cheekbones and turned her head towards the lovely sight outside the window.

“What is that?” Her breathless awe made him crack a small smile.

“Nature mourning the loss of something that still held a piece of divinity. For others, the more cynical ones, ice crystals blended with rays of light on what is known as the diamond dust phenomenon.”

Golden rays of light, floated dizzyingly shimmering within the wind. Carried by ice flakes on the mountain slopes around the house Lucifer was experiencing once again the wonder of being bathed in a cosmogenic light. 

They both stayed silent on nature's declaration that the bastard of heaven, the Lilim, the carrier of both sin and divinity had still something pure inside him when he passed. Perhaps Briadach had succeeded on obtaining a soul, possibly just a fraction which was going to a good place after all. The one he had deserved being all along, long before the war of Heaven had ever begun. 

“I still don’t understand many things Lucifer but I’m willing to. Never hold back again or I walk. Understood?” Chloe sighed enjoying the meaning of the phenomenon at its peak when the orange hue rose to warm the colours in the previously murky horizon. 

 

* * *

 

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 

Songs used for this entry:

[James Vincent McMorrow - We Don’t Eat](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkR3HRMO7nZg&t=MTNjZGM4MTdkZmIxZDhhMWFkNGU3YjQ2NWVhYTY3NTFiZWYzMThhMyxWY0VrY3NvMg%3D%3D&b=t%3AFNswmj_zwzb8gaOeKlFb1Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsanoiro.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166889398861%2Falis-grave-nil-tonight-reached-the-milestone-of&m=1)  
[The Brinks - Temporary Love](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUOkLQCT3csc&t=Y2MwMzQ2ODJmM2MwM2ViMTQwYTU0OWY2ZTEzZTgwMDI2Njg1YzNiYixWY0VrY3NvMg%3D%3D&b=t%3AFNswmj_zwzb8gaOeKlFb1Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsanoiro.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166889398861%2Falis-grave-nil-tonight-reached-the-milestone-of&m=1)  
[Guns N’ Roses - Don’t Cry](http://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzRIbf6JqkNc&t=M2NmNGZkYTU5NmZhMTU0MTQ1ZTk4YmJmYWY5NmY1ZDE5MWQ2NGU0MSxWY0VrY3NvMg%3D%3D&b=t%3AFNswmj_zwzb8gaOeKlFb1Q&p=https%3A%2F%2Fsanoiro.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F166889398861%2Falis-grave-nil-tonight-reached-the-milestone-of&m=1)


	18. Broken Toys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary of Broken Toys:
> 
> There is nothing easy or comfortable in the aftermath of Chloe knowing Lucifer's identity. 
> 
> They both struggle as everyone around them do for different reasons while the attack's orchestrator is finally located. 
> 
> Celestial secrets though were never meant to be unsophisticated, straightforward or easy to clean up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Warning* 
> 
> Graphic details of torture at the third scene!

 

 

* * *

Alis Grave Nil

_With wings, nothing is heavy_

* * *

 

**Broken Toys**

 

**31st of December, 2016 11:07 AM**

**San Gabriel Mountains**

  

Making lunch was always a favourite past time for Lucifer. The choices of flavour, the balance of taste he had acquired through the millennia, the small differences that made his stomach crave food like any human around him was simply fascinating. It was remarkable how a piece of chicken could really make a difference in his busy criminal-chasing day.

Granted arranging the already cooked food into taperware portions was not exactly what he had in mind but Mrs Hacker had shot him down with expertise. He was too skinny; the child was on the verge of starvation, the Detective was fainting. Not under her watch.

“Any relation to Martha Steward?” Chloe asked between the mouthfuls as he scooped a good portion of rice for the seventh lunchbox.

“No, and she was the result of a deal with an OCD glutinous fallen cherub by the way.” Lucifer grumbled thankful that there was not much left for the eighth arrangement.

Counting his blessings he supposed, Lucifer watched Chloe eating the first of his finished portions. Her colour was slowly returning which he thought it was a good thing, yet Mrs Hacker had ordered him to give her a second once she had finished her first.

“Excuse me?” Her somewhat relaxed and joyful teasing had begun what Lucifer had dubbed as ‘the truce’. He wasn’t aware a truce of what exactly but at the moment he could only take whatever he was offered.

“You are.” Lucifer told her seriously closing the lead of the tapper and picking the beef strips for the next and final lunchbox.

“Sarcasm.” She snorted chewing the last of her cucumbers. On cue Lucifer presented her with the last portion he had just closed, stealing away from her hands the empty one.

“Noted and ignored.” He informed her with the usual brazenness he carried around her.

“Lucifer show me.”

Fork hanging loosely on her right hand she watched him placing the two casseroles in the sink and fill them with water. His hand remained on the tap for a bit longer than usual before he dared to show her an uncomfortable smile. Turning back to wash the cookware Lucifer debated how far he could go with that request.

It was the belief that if she saw him under this activity could decrease the terrifying effect he had on humans? Was he willing to risk another meltdown but more importantly was she ready for it? As the warm water flood, the sink and bubbles made their appearance Lucifer let his facial features slip.

Taking his time to arrange the dirty dishes and scrub the stuck rice vigorously off the bottom of the pot, Lucifer focused as much as he could on the task forcing himself to relax. When he was finally drying the last lid he turned to kitchen counter hesitating to meet her eyes just yet

“Can you wash this one as well please?” A clean lunchbox with only some rice and sauce remaining was presented to his downcast vision.

“S-sure.” Baffled with his non-existing eyebrows knotting, Lucifer finally gathered the courage to inspect her reaction this second time.

Rinsing the remains with hot water, he repeated the process that had been excelled after losing several fine china pieces over the years. Daring a quick peek he saw blue-grey eyes staring at him with her head slightly cocked lost deep in thought.

**_*Snap*_ **

“You told me you had a cleaning lady!” Maze burlesqued Lucifer’s yellow gloves causing the depths of his crimson eyes spark fleetingly.

“I do! Did! I mean…” Huffing Lucifer tried not to place too hard the plate on the dryer rack and took out the incriminating gloves.

“Lucifer you hands.” Chloe jumped from the stool behind the counter and touched his long fingers.

The willingness had him cautiously thrilled until he felt a tugging weight on his belt. Wrapped in the long white sheet Lucifer had thrown at Maze in the last moment before driving away, a scowling Trixie demanded his attention.

“Why do you like hide and seek so much?” She castigated puckering her lips in displeasure. Putting her whole weight on his belt, Lucifer had no choice but to scout at her level if he wanted to retain whatever was left of his dignity.

Mourning the loss of Chloe’s touch, he was startled when two hands touched his mottled and streaked scalp. The child’s was demanding in her attempt to scrub away his millennia-old appearance.

Where tiny hands were rubbing and patting, long soft fingers traced the same path soothing somewhat the abuse Lucifer was allowing on himself by the small being that certainly had inherited his temperament. Blinking a few times, Lucifer surrendered to the willing contact which both mother and daughter were gracing upon him.

When a third hand joined his eyelids fluttered open annoyed by the interruption. He knew the long-nailed fingers which once upon a time had attempted scrapped him raw during their fuck-a-buddy sessions.

“Do me!” Maze pleaded lowering herself to Trixie’s height. Taking the child’s palm, the Lilim placed it on her absent cheekbones only for the little fingertips to be lost in the white skeined remaining tissue.

“But there is nothing there.” Trixie stated simply while enjoying to dive her short fingers into his hair.

Roaring a laughter, Lucifer fell bum on the floor taking the child with him. Holding her close, he hummed in her wild by the windy air curls watching the disappointment settle in Maze’s eye.

“She is right you know. I’m telling you this for centuries. You’re beautiful. Even more beautiful than the day I first met you in that dreadfully humid cave.” He was absolutely sincere like he was on their first meeting before the Fall, Hell and all the mess they had dealt with back then.

What Maze had carried shamefully as the mark of the Lilim’s expelled from their homeland, Lucifer had always considered it a mark worth of respect as it carried an unremarkable beauty. Her everlasting loyalty and dedication to her younger brother.

Pleased by his declaration before lifting her human facade again, she threw a proudful look at Chloe with her white eye. To the Detective’s credit, she did not recoil away from her roommate. Lucifer was not fooling himself once again into thinking that these days would not have a lasting effect in her soul, but he at least hoped to be still allowed close to her when she would finally need the help.

“Good you are all here! Mr Mornigstar it’s time to call it a day if we don’t want to be snowed in!” Mrs Hacker informed them and quickly gathered the prepared lunch boxes leaving one out and shoving the flowery themed yellow one at a horrified Maze.

“Eat young lady! Same goes for the child! Out of the door now chop-chop!” She ushered them quickly towards the door throwing Lucifer his jacket and a blanket at the hands of a bewildered Trixie.

* * *

 

**31st of December, 2016 15:24 PM**

**Downtown L.A.**

 

Saddled with Mrs Hacker at the passenger's seat next to him Lucifer had been forced to set up the roof of the Corvette, something that had lasted until the first thick snowflakes had started to fall. The descending from the mountains and into the city had been quick one thanks to a devilish detour from the normally taken road. He had lived in the city for long enough to know that driving on New Year’s Eve was a tormenting experience for any driver whether he was the Ex-Lord of Hell or not.  

When they finally made it back to the apartment complex, Lucifer took the time to hide the black textile roof back in the trunk again as he watched most of the women in his life interact. There was no joyfulness or ease, but the newly formed threads of trust and respect were definitely there. 

It was perhaps that which made him not express his exasperation over the sauce soiled sheet the child was still wrapped in for an insolation from the chilly temperatures. Lucifer had to admit that was on him; he should have known that the small creature would need something more than a thin jacket for going up and down the St. Gabriel mountains.

“Lucifer, are you coming?” Maze’s bored tone carried a threat that forced him to leave the Corvette still covered in mud and with pieces of debris stuck on the usually sparkling clean tires and back fender. 

The sighs of relief at the warmth of the apartment were short-lived along with the continuous chatter of Beatrice aimed at anyone who cared to listen. The litter of apparel pieces on the apartment’s floor and the badly arranged creme sheet on Daniel’s hips as he sipped from one of Lucifer’s favourite Wonder Women mugs had everyone stop and stare. 

It should have been an amusing scene, Daniel sitting on almost nothing but a thin sheet, watching them enter with a short Asian middle-aged woman sniff her disapprovement. The mug slipped from the blond man’s hands at the mere look of Lucifer’s stunt face. As he stood still the women around him seemed to recover quickly with Chloe kicking the clothes in a stack close to the couch. 

Lucifer still rooted on the spot hissed at the now broken mug which had also caught the attention of the little girl. Hearing the quick, lightweight steps descending the stairs had the Lucifer’s glowering eyes turn impossibly darker when Linda made a dishevelled entrance. 

“ _That_ was a _limited_ edition mug _I_ personally ordered and then fetched for Beatrice.” For the first time in his long existence, Lucifer hoped he had once indeed been a snake. A very long, _venomous_ snake. 

“Lucifer I realise this is a surprise. It was an outlet, a bonding between two people who dealt with a _very_ life-altering truth.” Linda tried to compose herself, reaching to the bridge of her nose for her glasses in an attempt to regain the authority she usually had during their sessions. 

“If he was so _traumatised_ give him a session, pills, not a drive to humpy land!” He bewailed making Dan jump, but he didn’t seem to be as affected as he had been by the end of their meeting in jail the other morning. 

“Is _that_ really what bother’s you?” Linda demanded to know in a way she had made him open up in the past. 

“He bedded _my_ Detective and _my_ Mother! Now he had to ruin my therapist too!? Have you F-” Lucifer roared when a hand slapped his shoulder. 

“Lucifer!” Chloe warned him nodding towards his fou- point-four feet tall audience.

“ _Flunkered,_ every woman I care about?” He lowered his voice with a smug smile. 

**_*Cough*_ **

“As much as I admire you comrade dedication to abstain from that… _joy_ , stay away Mazikeen! You will not have my Demon too, Daniel.”  Lucifer did not like this sudden resilience that man was showing while himself was feeling rather hot at the back of his neck. 

“But this is not about your Demon neither your Mother nor Chloe and certainly not about _me_. Who are you afraid of really losing to Dan, Lucifer?” Backstepping was not possible when Lucifer was sitting on her couch, but now it was more than noticeable by his good friend’s keen eye. 

Opening and closing his mouth a couple of times, he hooked his right hand to rest on his hip while rubbing his ungroomed for days stubble.

“That’s enough! _You_ get dressed, and _you_ go make a cup of cocoa for everyone.” Chloe handed Dan most of his clothes as she gently patted Trixie’s back to go to her room.  

“I certainly will n-” He was affronted by the notion that he should let this pass. That man had managed to go through every female Lucifer was close to, one way or the other. 

“I’ve spoken Lucifer. Enough! _Please_ , enough…” She begged him taking a smirking Linda with her upstairs. 

“Right… Daniel a hand if you please. After it is washed, that is.” Nose cringing he opened the cupboards to retrieve everything he needed while Dan wrestled with his jeans. 

Waiting for the milk to heat up Lucifer opened the spawn approved ingredients he needed and looked back at the man. Sneering Daniel’s way didn’t make the man quiver as Lucifer had expected, nor was causing the once senior Detective to get flustered in annoyance or borderline anger. 

“Look, man, it’s not easy being Rosemary’s Ex here - no offence on Chloe or Trixie - but I guess we both have lost our footing here.” Inches before Dan landed a friendly pat on his shoulder Lucifer’s narrowing eyes stopped him. 

Opening the freezing cold water tap for him, Lucifer stepped away stirring the milk with the cocoa and the sugar deeply in thought. Looking back Daniel had not been afraid of Chloe or even him but the objective of his every decision had always been the child. What was lost by that man’s side, was it really gained by the other?

“You care about her.” Lucifer simply stated dividing the foaming beverage in one of the child’s outrageous mug collection. 

“I’m her Daddy and if I’m not that anymore then what am I and what are you? Does that even make sense?” Taking the nearest mug, Dan hummed his appreciation from the first sip. 

“What re-defining yourself through a child’s existence? I don’t see the logic behind it, no.” Lucifer admitted putting the whisk and the pot in the sink before glaring at Dan who had been drinking from his second favourite mug. 

From the far end of the room, Lucifer could see Mrs Hacker sitting alone on the couch as Maze switched the channels from the armchair. 

“But it does not mean that I don’t feel it, Daniel.” Refusing to see the reaction in the man’s eyes he kept his eyes fixed on the silly commercials. 

Whirling his drink around, Lucifer realised he had admitted once again that Beatrice’s existence had affected more than he had let most in this apartment know. It was not just ego or the fear of failure. It was the stirring of something honest and pure that he hadn’t felt since he was a child. Something that came second only to what he had bolted behind lock and key for her mother. Caring had not ended well the first time for him, and Lucifer doubted he would survive the aftermath of a second Fall. 

Timid hands searched the counter blindly before they got a hold of one of the mugs. Both Dan and Lucifer tried to steady the cup from spilling on the top of a curiously looking around little girl. Testing her hot chocolate, she gave them a toothy grin making Lucifer inexplicably proud to have remembered the addition of the vanilla extract in the mix. 

“I think I know the difference because Stella has a Step-Dad and a Mom and a Daddy but I’m not sure I understand.” She spoke midway her drinking prompting Dan to pass her a paper towel, an action-heavy with years of expertise. 

“You have a Mother and a Father, and now you just have one more official title for someone that cares for you.” Lucifer should have considered talking first with Daniel or more importantly Chloe but his conviction as to how things were, was the best he could offer to both the questioning child and the loss of words _Daddy_. 

“So Daddy is my Daddy, and you are again?” Beatrice pressed stifling a yawn having Dan offer a pick up which she gladly accepted. 

“Lucifer. If you ever want to call me something different I’ll endure it happily but what you need to understand is that you are _not_ losing a parent.” 

He had lived through that, and it was the least he wanted any child to go through it again. Lucifer remembered of other empty promises he had been given as a child, but in the girl’s slowly dropping eyes he could see the reflected peace by his reassurance. 

“That is true Monkey, Lucifer and I have our differences, but our family just got bigger. That’s… all?” Daniel questioned with only a hint of uncertainty not wanting to jostle the nearly asleep child in his arms

“Correct she gets my charisma and your _something_ , there must be something for her to get I suppose.”  The axis was back somehow. Back to insulting without any real depth and Daniel huffing at his offensive returns. 

“And that is why I still get to be your Daddy, Lucifer _clueless_ but I think we will manage!” Dan whispered to the absently wobbling in agreement child’s head before placing a kiss on her messy hair. 

Chloe found them both gulping down the remains of Trixie’s leftover hot chocolate while she was safely slumbering on Dan’s shoulder. 

“Ah, Detective you are here! Our daughter and her Daddy are mocking me!” Lucifer pouted searching for support from either her or the thankfully now fully covered Linda. 

“Your genes not mine!” Chloe quipped carefully lifting two mugs before Linda got two more and retreated in the living room where Maze and Mrs Hacker were watching now a Christmas special. 

“What was that supposed to mean!? That’s not genes that’s _Duchification_!” Lucifer mumbled downing the last drops of his drink before opening one the lunch boxes he had prepared earlier. The waiting game was still on, but a Christmas Special sounded like a good idea. 

* * *

 

**31st of December, 2016 19:46 PM**

**Downtown L.A.**

 

The house was quiet, not a cliche really when it was inhabited by a Demon, a Miracle and a Semi-Celestial whippersnapper. When his phone buzzed, Lucifer with difficulty freed himself from two small clenching fists. The child’s and Daniel’s that is. 

With a last look at the sleeping forms under the pink overthrow, he gave the urchin a small smile. After several millennia Lucifer was in a position to lose something again, and he was conflicted over the delight and the rage that possibility filled him with. He had known joy but most of all he had lived through the unspeakable anguish of being separated from what you cared for. 

The resolution in his mind had been set when the child’s paternity could no longer be questioned. Tonight he had to eradicate any possibility of Beatrice’s well being, ever been compromised. Lucifer could go without murder tonight as there was always another choice in his book, yet he honestly wondered what that choice was. 

The infernal gleam of Maze’s eyes caught his attention as he made his way to the door. After almost six years he was once again the undisputed Master, and she was the servant. The slight unmistakable cowering was enough evidence to that. 

“Keep an eye on the child at all times.”  Turning the key in the lock three times Lucifer opened the door.  

Hesitating to take the first step outside where the sun was setting in more ways that one in this world, he turned his torso, hand still anchored on the front door’s handle. 

“Mazikeen. Protect them.” It was not an order but a plea but still was received as the first. 

“Always.” It was but a whisper, but it was enough. 

Lucifer’s eyes fluttered in relief as if tonight’s battle had already been won. A future had been secured over the stability of a rising smoke, it was not much, but it would do for now. He had no other threads to steady himself from. 

Patting his pocket for his car keys, Lucifer opted to use the stairs in an attempt to short his thoughts, formulate a plan. The message was clear, the location unmistakable. 

“Took you long enough.” He could remember another day where her voice had echoed in LUX. That day was beginning this one was ending. 

It had been raining that day, an uncommon weather phenomenon for L.A. even in the winter. He was grieving that day before the dawn broke, and she had managed to pull him to the surface just enough to realise who he was. A Punisher in need of justice as Linda had insisted later on. 

“You are not coming.” He voice was hard, unyielding for the first time in her presence. 

“You will see that I am.” She insisted reaching to open his door before throwing him his keys. He would have sworn…

“Detective…” Lucifer pressed, but she merely fastened her jacket around her, knowing perfectly well that he would refuse to take the roof out again. 

“We had an agreement. A deal. It's either that or I walk.” She refused to look at him, keeping her steady stare on the still mud spotted windshield. 

“Very well.” He would have dragged her inside but he would for once trust his ability to keep her safe. He would fool himself that he was capable of at least that for tonight. 

Everyone had somewhere to go and the feeling of a non-waning enthusiasm over the turn of the year had not left the city as of yet. Driving slower than usual, Lucifer took the opportunity to savour her presence. 

She would not notice, but for the next minutes, he would seep into her radiating warmth just by sitting beside him. Her hair flying in the wind would allow him to catch a whiff of what was so naturally her. Even after days without a proper shower as Lucifer could guess had not dampened what made the air around her so spectacularly _hers_. 

“Are we going to the precinct?” Chloe wondered in confusion as Lucifer followed the same route he knew they both used from her house to the station. 

“No, just a couple blocks further from there actually.” The proximity had unsettled him. 

Hidden between the long remodelled buildings, there was an unassuming little store with an old fading teal sign. Dust and desertion only prevailed still to make the place noteworthy. Perhaps that and the grim that covered a good two inches of the pavement. 

There was nothing inviting or worth a second glance at each of the window displays, and yet it held an eye-grasping allure. An enchantment that had your hand on the door before asking what urged you to enter this place. 

 _‘Der Tachentrum’_ was styled as the forgotten old bookstore from an era before the presumptuous four-stores Mall bookstores and the quick online purchases. It held a nostalgic charm which along with everything else, aside from an old copy of ‘Morgen wird alles besser’ on display, was a fake. 

A lovely setting really complete with the long wooden bookcases around them and the scornful stripped ginger feline that followed their every move from near the register. Everything in that place was simply too easy to decode whereas Lucifer knew that night could not possibly hold the resolution he so wanted. 

“That’s your big secret mission for tonight? The little German bookstore three blocks from work?” 

Shaking her head, Chloe didn’t appear to share his caution over her every step and went directly to the rack that was filled with several colourful children’s books.  

“You have been there before.” It was not a question and was thus it was not answered. 

Twisting the cord of the open hanging sign to closed, Lucifer considered it prudent also to lower the tattered rolling blind. No point on alerting an innocent by-passer. 

“I used to come here when I was pregnant with Trixie. It has the most adorable textile made, toddler books. No more apparently, the business must be failing.” 

The sadness in her voice was filled with memories she had associated with the child. Been drawn into this place was not a surprise really. The vibrations the Silver City was humming with, in Heavens, echoed from the bookstore’s foundations. It was a surprise he had never found his way at this part of the neighbourhood before but his child once though still in her mother’s womb, had.

“The owner was a total sweetheart. I wonder if he is still alive.” Chloe wondered scratching the cat’s ears which elicited a purring appreciation from the animal. 

Picking up a fragile leather-bound spined book, probably an early 18th century find, Lucifer scoffed throwing it carelessly at the nearest shelf. 

“The owner is a fraud, a copycat of long forgotten relics.” Sweeping the dust off his palm and on his creased trousers, Lucifer’s eyes focused on the moving drape behind the counter. 

“I prefer the term practising historian.” The monotonous drawl matched the one in Lucifer’s memory. Detached, indifferent, downright scornful. 

“Let’s settle on worthless bellend, shall we?” Lucifer sneered. 

A shaggy-haired man of the same built and stature appeared behind the curtain without as much as a glance towards either of them. Lucifer noted the man favouring his right leg as he limped from behind the counter. 

“Carrying a little more weight as of late, dear sibling of mine?” The apathetic features spasmed once but it was enough for Lucifer to realise how careless he had probably been. 

“You always were the pompous one so you would now. How you didn’t topple down from Heaven was a miracle really. Speaking of…” Two pairs of obsidian eyes focused on Chloe’s slender form near the children’s book section. 

“We both know that after your toys got loose, you were not supposed to inhabit any reality of this plane of existence Meleos. Never, _ever_ again!” His tone was hard as Lucifer moved to hide Chloe behind his body. 

It was an absurd position to take, driven by instinct. A questionable in source, instinct.  

“Broken toys.” His brother swallowed in bitterness. 

Both brothers had been aware of the danger, and yet when Meleos toys, a deck of cards, a legion at its own claimed right named Basanos had been unleashed in a different reality, destruction had followed. 

“Reconstructed toys from the looks of it.” The scratches on his elder, in name only, brother’s hands showed the struggle to keep the power of the newly made cards under control. 

“Lucifer that’s the owner from almost ten years ago!” Chloe whispered behind his back, clawing her fingers at the back of his suit’s jacket. 

“No, that’s the inventor in the family Detective. But when Dad took over the hobby he was no longer needed-“

“I was _appointed_ as the historian of humanity, and I have kept on with my task. That’s more than what can be said for you Samael!” Meleos taunted with the wrinkles on his already marred face, deepening and twisting his features in a form that reminded Lucifer from where he was really coming from. 

“ _Self-appointed_ historian who experimented on humans by breeding with them. Mrs Hacker sends her worst regards by the way.” 

With his trademark left hand on his pocket, Lucifer examined his always impeccably trimmed fingernails of his right hand. An open act of contempt he had perfected after the long hours he had pulled in the interrogation room with the Detective. 

“It proved the multiple dimensions of existence! Father was pleased!”  The man snarled losing his composure for the first time before he caught himself reverting back to the sweet old man he pretended to be all these years. 

If only age came with purity of intent and action. 

“Father was _disgusted_ , so much that he sent you to Hell for quite a while. Remember your door Meleos? Your nice-” Lucifer’s eyebrows arched while his right hand reached for the comforting support of his left sleeve’s cufflinks only to find nothing there. 

“Now you have figured it out. A nice door, next to Mother’s.” Setting aside the heavy drape with his long chapped and bruised fingers, the once graceful Angel, steadied himself on the counter waiting for the person behind it to come out to the dim light of the store.  

“Mum.” Lucifer greeted feeling at the same time his jacket been pulled and a golden lock of hair appearing just behind his left shoulder. 

“This… This-This has gone out of hand son.” The woman sighed reaching to touch Meleos cheek in an act of evident tenderness before hesitating and retreating her hand. 

“ _Literally_.” Lucifer agreed, raising his fully healed but ringless hand. 

“I didn’t know. Honestly, I didn’t know!” The Goddess chocked leaving Lucifer wonder where the deceit ended and but also exactly where it had begun. 

“And that is why you came to me, Mother!” Meleos crooned in an uncharacteristic show of affection. 

“Lucifer you have to realise. I-I needed to know. Omniscience is what defines a God, a _Goddess_.” Mother tried to explain yet failing at every uttered word. 

“I always believed that the desire to know the future belonged only to you Meleos. You always felt so trapped in the past when a future seemed so well set by Dad. Although that does not explain either why or how.” 

Turning to his Mother, Lucifer could see the lightly applied make up cracking and the human years that burdened that body finally making an appearance. 

“I’ve lost already _two_ children Lucifer. Both times I saw you almost drenched in their spilt blood. Would you have stood a by-watcher while your child was in danger? I needed a new deck to _know_! But I-”

“You didn’t know the price such a deck comes with. He needed the ash and my blood to create a new deck. The ring had both. Do you have any idea what you surrendered for Meleos toys to work!?” 

Lucifer had been at the same place before, a completed deck had taken the fall back then, but now their creator stood unconcerned of what he had unleashed once again in the world. Rubbing his thumbs over his fisted shaking hands, Lucifer allowed himself to believe that this was not another Apocalypse almost waiting to happen. 

“You would think that after murder, kidnapping, rape and almost the end of the world by his toy’s sired spawn, you of all the others Mother would have known better!”

The demented laughter that filled the small space was followed by the cracking sound of bones stretching. 

The featherless crisped edges were the only evidence of what had happened to the pair of wings that graced Meleos’ hunched body. Like their owner, the wings had quite the temperament and struggled against the enforced attachment on Meleos' frail by age and immorality body. 

Casting a quick glance at the women behind him, Lucifer saw Chloe looking at angel wings with a mixture of fear and anxiety. She was almost ready to flee. 

“You kick the Devil’s Hellish Triad, and you fear of a burned to crisp chicken? Well, recovering chicken.” He asked her incredulously offended that Meleos was not receiving the same treatment as he had, extra working scorch appendages or not in his case. 

“Not fear! I exhibit a healthy amount of caution!” Chloe whispered to him more than willing apparently to let him have this confrontation all by himself. 

It came as a relief to Lucifer to see that similarly with Briadach, Meleos had started to pay his quest for omniscience. Weak will and nefarious means turned a celestial body to a burning candle, letting it melt with every lightened flame. The future was not only bright but was also flaming hot in their case. 

“Have you inhaled too much soot, you old man? Heavens when was the last time you cleaned your chimney?” 

Dragging his not so implacable looking shoes anymore on the hardwood’s grim floor. Lucifer lifted an eyebrow accessing the scene. The wings would not turn against him that much he was aware, the rest would have to go down one piece at the time. 

“The Lilim love their home. Angels have the same tendency, but _you_ already know that.” The agitated flap of the temperamental wings raised a thick cloud of dust and ash confirming that comment. 

They were after all the reason why Lucifer had cut them off. Too much temptation for something that wanted to either plummet down to Hell or soar piercing the clouds towards Heaven. 

“Poor Samael cast out of the Silver City, deserted in Hell, and now you try to make a home in the limbo between the two. But you gave the Lilim no choice, so she had to come to me again…” Meleos sardonically chuckled relishing the irony of having Lucifer’s most trusted being turn against him. 

“Mazikeen said she had taken care of the wings.” The tick on his jaw’s muscles alerted Chloe behind him. 

“Trixie, you said she was _safe_!” Coughing in her elbow due to the settling particles that were still floating around them, she turned to leave, but before she had the chance to get out of the door, Lucifer locked his eyes with Mum’s. 

“The Demon only gave us your schedule for the 26th, she is feral where that child’s well-being is concerned, and I agree.” Mum said firmly her conviction that the child was not supposed to be involved in this old feud, all her wishes to regain her omniscience be damned. 

“They are not even at the house anymore are they?” Lucifer pressed clearly following the laid patters around him. Amenadiel was nowhere to be found, and he was too weak-willed to follow Mum this far. 

“They are at the Penthouse. Your brother keeps an eye on all of your humans, the child included.” She tried to calm him, and the involuntary exhale he let out had him coursing for showing his worry. Something that Meleos could and probably had already caught. 

“You are aware that I cannot allow this to continue. Even now there is _someone_ who would probe for a punishment. A very prolonged and _effective_ punishment Mother.” He had supplied enough warnings for one evening, and he had a feeling they would not be enough. 

The wrist of his hands rolled letting out the familiar popping sound. His joined flexed with the anticipation of getting their hands on the aeons old routine. 

The textile shirt protested on his body’s preparation for what it should be done to which Lucifer decided that certain adjustments should be made quickly. He needed the right freedom of movement, and the restriction of his jacket’s and shirt’s sleeves wouldn’t do. 

“I’ll never understand the depth of your affection for something so ephemeral, so fragile…” His mother began eyes set on Chloe’s lingering form next to the door, now calmer that Trixie was not in immediate danger. 

“What I do see though is that none of your brothers ever had. Unadulterated love for your child. You would kill for them, die for them, lie down and let her trample you. We are so alike in that last aspect.” 

Moving to stand between her two sons his Mother was unwilling to back off and let Lucifer deal with one of his brothers again. Blood would be spilt the bargaining was now settling on how much. 

“We are. But pray tell should I turn a blind I knowing I endanger Beatrice?” Throwing his jacket in a leisured way on top a pile of books, he removed his remaining left cufflink and placed it in Chloe’s hands. 

That was a breaking point in less than a day for her. Her eyes were openly questioning him how far he would go, what she should expect and as he knew her well, why the hell she had left her gun at home. Her less protruding right buttocks had been a clue since she had got out of the car.

“Do not kill him.” His Mother voiced what the grey-blue eyed woman in front of him would have as well if she weren't currently chewing her inner cheek. 

“I’ll not, but I _will_ hurt him. _A lot_ and you will be there to watch.” 

He didn’t know if he was referring to his Mother or Chloe, but when he enclosed her hands for hers to secure his cufflink, Lucifer had no desire to let anything under wraps for her ever again. With a reassuring squeeze, he turned back to look at his mother, eyes glowing with a twisted delight he had not felt in years. Certainly not since he had started his _vacation_. 

“Step aside Mother.” He instructed her not surprised when Meleos did not seem to be fazed by his impending fate. 

“Just take your brother’s creations and destroy them, you don’t have to hurt him!” Mum pressed trying to cover a snickering Meleos with her slim body. 

“Where are they? Have you wondered that? Yet isn’t it obvious? They are feeding. Slowly. Growing while tainting him.” Lucifer’s disgust was spatted, teeth-baring as he removed his vest and caressed the sole dagger tucked under his belt. 

“Lucifer.” Chloe tried to stop him advancing towards the cowering yet still, gleeful man.

His shoulders rolled with difficulty under her touch. He would have tried taking a different action if she had expressed her noticeable hesitation when the dagger was flicked around his fingers, ready to be used after almost six long years. But he already knew that his options had already run out. 

“They are inside of him. Don’t you see them fluttering? Don’t you _feel_ them, Mother?” The remorse and gravity were rolling down to the depths his every advanced step was making towards them, leaving Chloe and everything she represented in his present life behind. 

“Meleos no, tell me you didn’t.” The worry lines of Charlotte’s features hardened, smartly dressed feet backing to allow Lucifer to approach finally.

“Did you think I would show mercy to something that could leach off Beatrice at any given time?” Lucifer derisively demanded placing the man forcibly face down, on the counter. 

The screeching of rusted hinges halted him dagger raised mid-air. Lucifer’s eyes squinted into confusion; then dark eyes glowed for the first time angered to such degree by _her_. An unthinkable act was occurring. 

“You will _not_ open that door. You wanted to know the depths of what makes the Devil so cruel and vile in humanity’s consciousness, so don’t you _dare_ step away now.” 

Tightening his hold on the neck of his brother, Lucifer waited for Chloe to turn and get away from the door. Tracing the dagger’s shard edge on Meleos’ spine, he could feel the muscles underneath protesting. The wings had never allowed this body to control them completely. Volatile feathery buggers he was almost sorry for what he was about to do next. 

Cutting open the mothball smelling clothes off, had the greenish flesh make an appearance. Thick strands pierced through the still bleeding flesh and into the unwilling to merge wings. 

From the torn edges Lucifer could tell the wings had wanted to escape this now rotting flesh more than once, only to be stitched back over and over again. 

“The rebellion officially started when the Silver City decided what was pure and worthy.” Pushing the swollen and sutured together pieces of flesh the odour escaping the oozing lesions was nauseating even to Lucifer himself. 

“The children of Lilith, builders of the City under the instructions of dear Imbrael, were meant to be exiled but the council favoured extinguishment more.” Lucifer sighed cutting the crusty with blood and puss cords. 

The process was slow and his movements methodical. If the body underneath him felt any pain anymore was difficult to say. When he freed the first wing, a glistering yellowish gap remained open, a reminder of the lengths the man under him had gone to encompass the wings in his body. 

“One side was moved by the entitlement of eugenics and superiority of being the children of _God_ Himself.” Shaking his head at the absurdity he had once lived through, he examined in awe the almost fully regenerated wing. 

Aside from the charred edges, it was as bright and glorious as the day they had sprouted out from his back. Knowing the temptation was still holding a very substantial part of himself, Lucifer quickly aimed the overflowing of soot fireplace and threw it away.  

With a low thud, the first wing landed as the inanimate object it was supposed to be when not connected to a celestial being. How wondrous that his wings were protesting over being exploited and not when they were about to be destroyed once again. 

“The other side was motivated by the greed of wanting what the ones lower than them had. Humans had the freedom of will. The freedom to sin and repent. Mostly to sin though. You see a _sin_ is a complicated term.” Lingering over the last fused together pieces of tissue and inflamed muscle Lucifer grimaced at the sight of the bloated gangrene gas on the rest of the back. 

“Did you know about this?” He questioned more harshly than he had intended, regretting letting frustration show at the sight of his Mother’s ashen complexion. 

“How is he still alive?” Chloe wondered out loud with her sleeve covering her mouth and nose from the putrefying stench. 

Reaping the wing from the body, shredding rotting flesh with flexing rosy ligaments. Lucifer, not taking the same time to examine the second wing, he threw it close to the first one and proceeded on cutting the rest of the man’s clothes to reveal his gaunt upper body. 

The best intentions cannot always calculate the compensation correctly their following actions will eventually demand back. 

Both arms were spread over coffee-stained papers, open books and other clutter. The once smooth skin at the anterior of both elbows was now marked by purple markings. Lucifer had feared the extent of Meleos dedication to the task, and it was clear that he had perceived being aware of the future more important than returning to Hell. 

“He believed he could calculate all the parameters. He was wrong. This body is pumped with morphine and who knows what else.” With the wings removed the body underneath him heaved in laboured breaths which made the next part of Lucifer’s task more urgent than he had first thought. 

Lucifer was able to feel the fluttering sourcing from underneath the man’s ribs, and he was confident that was not a heart beating, at least not at that speed. Tracing the blade over the arms and the sides of Meleos, a trail of blood escaped where Lucifer was pressing harder for a sign of a recent incision. 

“Oh, you didn’t…” Lucifer grieved of his brother’s last remains he fitfully hoped; he would have found somewhere in that body tonight. 

Turning the body Meleos' eyes were glazed with a slacking grin. 

“What’s so funny old man?” 

The thin incisions had healed completely confirming Lucifer’s suspicions that his wings had been used as a sustaining source of divine nutrition for the new toys to grow while draining the hosting body in the process. His once beautiful wings had been degraded to a pair of bloody batteries! 

“Uriel was right; the patterns are beautiful. You will lose her like you lost him and there is nothing you can do.” The triumphantly fiendish laughter shook Meleos in a core spasming delight.

“That makes this so much easier then.”  Digging his thumb at the lower ribs a malicious smile formed. The left floating ribs were missing but first the _eyes_. 

Once clear and full of bothersome second-hand wisdom, they were now carrying a foggy faraway look. The one Briadach’s unseeing eyes had as a result of his price for foretelling the end of everything. Lucifer for once again had been too late. 

His index followed the dry skin down to the tear glance, and he nudged the eyeball gently around. It felt heavy yet still firmly aware of Lucifer’s probing. Bending his index to a hook, he quickly delved it into the right socket despite the protests of the man. 

“There is no pain I assure you, just some stretching and an odd feeling of emptiness afterwards.” Lucifer said calmly rolling his finger around the optical nerve with considerable difficulty due to Meleos violent twitching. 

When he was satisfied, he had loosened the muscles around the eyeball he gently dived his middle finger at the other side of the optical nerve. The inflammation was there, the hard bids which were not supposed to be there were now felt under the mucus-covered surface. Covering the man’s face with his body, Lucifer got close to his ear attempting to hide the view but not the spoken words from the women behind him. 

“This is a warning my _crafty_ brother. When I blind someone, I expect them to _remain_ blind. Understood?”  He pinched and quickly removed the first eyeball before severing its nerve from the body. With centuries honed moves, he extracted the second one and sliced both of them on the palm of his hand. 

The density was as he had expected, thick and veiny with the dripping liquid splotchy red and white. If Lucifer ever doubted how his brother’s project had been affecting the once impervious body, the instantly dissolving corneas was all he needed as a confirmation. Drying his hand on his now untucked shirt, Lucifer opted to avoid Chloe’s eyes if he wanted to proceed to his next task.   

Lucifer was known as an expert on skinning and slashing with ease through any sinner he decided they deserved the treatment. His personal favourite was the split from neck to rectum with an additional care given to crushing every spondyl separately. It was an art really, to cause pain without rendering useless the nerves or paralysing any part of the body before the fun began. A long, lost _art_ … 

Careful not to penetrate the stern more than he should, Lucifer masterfully gashed around the outline of the last remaining rib. Shaving the almost non-existing fat he could feel the palpitations of a weakly beating heart with the rhythm of something sinister that was drawing him closer. 

The cadaverous figure thankfully made his work more accessible. The narrow incisions became shallower when a staggered breath revealed the edges of what Lucifer was searching for. Crooking his deft fingers, he dived in between the warm slippery muscles until he felt the hard edges of something foreign to the expected blood and flesh. 

“How many did you make? Three, four?” Feeling the grimness of life and decay getting entrapped under his fingernails, Lucifer clipped his nails and caught the resisting to be moved deck, giving out a victorious chuckle. 

“I only needed one.” His mother exclaimed now faintly green at the scene of Lucifer digging further inside his undisturbed anymore brother’s body. 

“Well- Duck!” The sharp, fleeting sting on his cheek did not bother him as Lucifer lunched over the counter and to Chloe. 

With the curved blade at hand and deaf to the cacophony of a laboured guffawing from behind him, Lucifer sliced desperately through the thin air before it landed in the spine of a large hardcover volume. There were two or three cards stabbed much to his relief there, all almost fled together. 

Taking the always nestled lighter from his pocket, Lucifer flicked it open. There was no remorse as for the third time he bid goodbye to what he once had craved so much. 

The lighter served its purpose at once, lightening a blaze on the ruffled astray feathers. The cards still bloody and sticky struggled against the sharp edges of the dagger. When Lucifer was satisfied by the rising flames and the shrivelling of the white primaries, he threw in the book along with the dagger-trapped cards.  

There was no ethereal scream or a phantasmagoric cracking light. A piece of junk was just burned unceremoniously in the flickering fire. The booming laughter had still not stopped yet it was evident Meleos’ throat was stripped raw with every new fit. Mother’s begging him to hush had not seemed to help so far, but her proximity for once eased Lucifer’s mind. 

For the third time, he was drenched in one of his siblings’ blood. The fourth of his family if he counted Briadach as well. Suddenly Lucifer felt oddly exhausted with an urge to lie down, but his priorities had him searching for her. 

“Lucifer you missed one.” Her warm tone dripping with the professionalism she always used in a crime scene had him shuttered. The truce was over. 

Under her black boot was a wresting to get free, card. A lone card that had caused already enough damage. 

“Your cheek.” He stuttered. 

Papercuts, as he had learned after hours of doing paperwork with her, had the tendency not to bleed spectacularly but they stung as Hell. Her left cheek otherwise unmarred was now coloured by a lone drop which made it’s way to her tightly closed lips. 

Kneeling to take the card his stomach plummeted when he reached down and flipped it. The interpretation of the card was clear and the consequences quickly approaching. There had been no bluff; the cards had named their price and Lucifer was called to pay as he was the last man standing.  

Bobbing his cheeks in thought, Lucifer looked at her perhaps for the last time as he knew the game was over and the players were now excused. 

“The World.” He merely stated in response to her hard staring, slated blue eyes. 

“You are bleeding.” Chloe’s thump came in contact with his upper cheek spreading sharp sting under his right eye. 

“Oh Fuck…” Lucifer whimpered losing focus off Chloe’s face for the first time since he had met her. 

The question was up; the card had complied. What do you truly desire?

_‘To understand.’_

 

 

* * *

  

_To be Continued..._

 

* * *

 Songs Used for this Entry:

[Talk To Me - Lauren Aquilina ](https://youtu.be/wTBl30xM34Y)

[Build It Better - Aron Wright](https://youtu.be/2J7erJGlz4o)

[Chasing Heaven - Flyte](https://youtu.be/2J7erJGlz4o)

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Meleos appears in the first issue of Lucifer (Original Series) and is a reoccurring character and even makes an appearance in the 2016 comic series. 
> 
> 2) The circumstances above have been manipulated to fit my plot but Meleos did create a deck of cards called Basanos which kidnapped, raped and had a Damian-like offspring with a human. Lucifer managed to change a few things and change the nature of the child by in a way restoring the events of time. 
> 
> 3) Only three Angels have children in the comics. 
> 
> A) Michael due to his creationist power which was exploited through an experiment and which gave us among other hybrids, Elaine, 
> 
> B) Imbrael who indeed had Briadach with Lilith and finally 
> 
> C) Lucifer whom in the new series of 2016 has a son, Takehiko, with Goddess Izanami. 
> 
> All Angels in the comics don't have genitals! 
> 
> 4) 'Morgen wird alles besser' is a real book which translates roughly to 'Tomorrow everything will be better'
> 
> 5) The next two chapters will be posted in a very unique way. Please do look out for a new story of mine hopefully starting this week called ‘Featherly Palpitations'. 
> 
> The Featherly Palpitations is essentially the next two chapters of AGN divided into chapters which will either be included as a whole chapter here or will be left as originals and will not be included in AGN. More pretty soon. 
> 
> 6) I want to say many things but for the past year, I’m battling with depression mainly caused by my entrapment in academia. Studying for a PhD s basically going to a school where your teacher tells you are an idiot 24/7 but at least you are a better idiot than the general public... Now you are not so surprised by my torture scenes huh?
> 
> 7) I'm trying but it's not always possible. Forgive me if I don't reply in time or by what I manage to deliver in this story. I'm just not a pleasant person I guess.... Epic Randomness huh?


	19. Featherly Palpitations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Humans, Sin and the Silver City there was a little boy and his Dave. Every story has a start and this one began long before time itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) A6, B6, F6 and D6 are all high music notes. In Europe or by the Sound of Music, you will know them as La, Si (TI), Fa and Re. In short, David speaks in high pitched music tones
> 
> 2) I tried to deliver this to the best of my abilities but I know it's not perfect. I know it took me three months but my time is extremely limited and so that makes things a bit more complicated. Still, have no fear. The thought of writing the ending keeps me going. I'll never abandon this story. 
> 
> 3) The next chapter will be titled Featherly Lacerations and it will be based on Issue 50 of the Lucifer Original Comics.

 

* * *

  

 

**Featherly Palpitations**

* * *

 

1\. Echo 

“What’s your first memory?”

It had been during a night session, one of the many after Uriel’s death, in which Linda had made the most mundane question a psychologist could make

Pouring him some more of his favourite liquor or at least what he had politely had been supplying her with in the past months, Linda clicked her pen and waited for him to answer.

Considering his reply, Lucifer went back to the first real consciousness of his existence as a being. A celestial fetus within a divine womb content to stay where he was. No point of rushing as time was of no essence; it didn’t exist.

Not born yet he had felt protected and warm in what he believed had lasted for an eternity and most probably it had. Lucifer could recall the pleasant vibrations around him. They were calling him outside of his Mother, but he had stubbornly remained motionless, waiting. For what he never had a real answer.

Before long a heartbeat rocked his tiny body before more joined his rhythmically beating one. There weren’t many, only two more and were gone before he had felt ready to meet the outside world himself.

Since the beginning voices had filled his entire existence. Mother’s first followed by Father’s and then there was a clamour of different tones and accents all swirling around him.

He didn’t know what had made him cave into feeling ready to meet the rest of the voices, but it was a defining time for him. Sometimes Lucifer humoured it had only taken an idea’s echo for him to join the world.

Reverberations had made him want to explore beyond the world his Mother offered him only to be met by silence when he finally took the daring step out of it. It was the lure of a sound calling him that had dared him actually to live since before his birth.

“An echo.” Lucifer finally replied scratching his temple.

* * *

  
The surrounding air had been carrying a sense of tranquillity as he was rewarded by a subtle bittersweet taste whenever he took a lungful breath.

_"My Lightbringer."_

In an infinite time from now, Lucifer would say his first breath filled his nostrils with the aroma of freely picked raspberries on a warm summer day. Every greedy gulp though tickled his buds with the taste of a well-aged, rich and viscous yet smooth glass of rum.

When his deep reverence ended, he would sober dismissing everyone, claiming he didn’t remember anymore although it was apparent he always did.

The first words he heard were a promise that went beyond the known words that would someday walk upon. Shortly he was given a name, and his feet were set on the ground under the perplexed stares of his large family.

He craved to explore the thick empty darkness that was unfolded around him. That was his first defiance, the first time many eyebrows were raised until he turned his back to them.

“You cannot follow them, Sammy.” His Mother laughed scooping up the now fussy toddler.

Wild long curls bounced gracing his boyish face, the only one of that kind in the home called, Heaven. Sammy could spend hours studying his reflection on his Mother’s featureless form. It had been a game at first and then an act of desperation.

Mother cocooned him close as he struggled around her, yet she didn’t seem to mind. She had protected him since his brothers and sisters had laid their eyes on him. Their hands had not taken long to follow. Poking, stretching his small limbs turning him upside down in puzzlement.

“Why?” The child whined now fully enclosed within her once again.

“You are still too young, little one.” His Father reasoned decreasing his brightness just for the child’s curious eyes to focus on his seemingly smiling features.

When He was satisfied that the boy would not resort to another crying meltdown, He melted back to the same featureless essence his Mother was encompassing him with.

“No, I’m not! I was here, I remember!” Sammy argued petulantly not happy to be left behind again.

“Firstborn, first created, first conceived. You are the later one my love so let your brothers have something of that glory. They need it more.” Father scolded him, always aware of what everyone needed in their continuously extending family.

“Perhaps if there was one more, a bit more like him.” Mother tentatively asked in a conversation that the little boy had heard countless of times and which always resulted in another grown sibling being created out of thin air.

He had missed sharing his personal space. He had missed the heartbeats of Michael and Gabriel before they left Mother’s body. They were soothing, effortlessly existing. Now they were both fully grown and as Daddy had proudly stated, were out of the nest for good.

What had drawn him out in this world was no longer around adding more despair to Sammy’s frustration. He was trapped in a small body, ageing differently than the rest and never out of his parent's sight. Never alone, never really with someone save Zizi.

So many sounds and never the one that had counted for him to open his eyes and make the decisive step outside in the world.

“Not that way, if it is a young you want…” Father was always firm to his decision when the subject of how a new sibling would be created, was raised.

Sammy knew just enough. Only three were born from his Mommy’s body, but that didn’t distinguish them in his Daddy’s eyes. Amenadiel was the ‘firstborn’. More like the first created Sammy snorted making his Mommy to look at him quizzically. Michael had held the title of the real firstborn in everyone's minds but not at the tip of their tongues anymore.

As he had done for millennia, Sammy watched intently his parents burn brighter when a shiver went down the boy’s spine singling the creation of one more sibling of his. Looking wildly around for any glimpse of his newly created brother or sister he frowned when a shrill came from above him.

Small and scrawny. That was Daddy’s gift to Mommy. Whatever was yelling its lungs out had Sammy instantly fascinated. Stretching up for a better look, Mommy granted him the sight of his new sibling’s face.

Scanning his Mommy’s shifting features, he was content to know she was pleased. It was not what she had requested, but it resembled himself at one point as well as Michael and Gabriel aeons ago.

“Name him well Sammy.” Ruffling his hair, Mommy placed the newborn in his hands.

It was nothing exceptional, but it was indeed young and very much annoying by every passing minute. Rearranging his short arms under his youngest sibling, Sammy frowned when a light breeze made him tumble backwards.

Daddy enveloped him steadying him as He assumed a more physical form.

“I think his name is Uriel.” The boy bit his upper lip hoping to have pleased his parents still looking in wonder his new brother.

Brushing Uriel’s little back, he applied more pressure on the baby’s spine in hopes Daddy had granted Mommy her wish. A soft whoosh of air escaped the red-faced Uriel before he let out a wail eyes wet with unshaded tears. All had been for nought. Light grey wings appeared behind his brother’s flapping eagerly for their first lift off.

“He is beautiful.” The boy stiffly praised one more of his parent's creations and gave back Uriel to his Mother.

Once again he was left as the favourite son, the unique son, the wingless son. Thankfully he was no longer the youngest in appearance and wouldn’t be for some more time apparently.

Mommy’s wishes had worked only halfway. Uriel would grow hopefully as slow as Samael, but Sammy continued to be the odd one out. An angel without wings.

The despair and sense of entrapment in his own existence was back until Uriel sneezed above him. Sammy would have sworn he saw the particles of dust being arranged into patterns around the newborn and there it was again. The echo.

“Let him rest little darling.” A tug took him further away from the eyelids dropping Uriel.

“Zizi, she has wings.” Sammy observed the smallest wings he had ever seen ruffling in preparation for his brother drifting to sleep in their Mommy’s arms.

“I know.” She said simply never allowing him to get far from their parent’s view.

“How long before he flies? Before he gets a task?” He wondered refusing to ask the same question he did every day.

“Not long.” Zizi replied combing the best she could his wild hair.

They both shared the same untamed dark hair and milky pale complexion. Where the rest of their siblings were energetic, they were withdrawn and quite. Each for their own reason. She was taskless with long shimmering silver wings. He was wingless, taskless a child by any other definition to the core. Both young, innocent, shunned.

“You said that ages ago.” Sammy grumped ruffling his hair again much to his sister’s displeasure.

“The road is not over yet little darling.” His sister reminded him her first promise so long ago.

“And if it does you will be there. right?” The boy asked her with the same uncertainty he always had for her reply.

“And if it’s over, we will carve the rest ourselves, brother.” Azrael assured him taking his lightweight body in her arms as they looked over the sleeping new addition.

* * *

   
2\. David

  
Dipping his finger inside the liquid Sammy was pleasantly surprised by its warmth. Drawing lazy circles he caused several ripples on the smooth surface over and over again.

“You really don’t want to do thith.” A lisping voice warned him in its usual know-it-all conviction.

“Shut up, Uriel.” The fascinated boy hissed enjoying the black spots surfacing on the top of the clear liquid. He would then see them clutter before hurriedly scattering away every time he plunged his fingers inside.

Uriel had not been what Sammy had hoped to be. He had aged slower than any angel since Sammy, but it wouldn’t be long before he towered him. Then once again he would be alone so what was the point really of befriending his younger brother?

Securing himself at the edge of the granite basin, Sammy lowered his body just enough for his nose blow some bubbles. Giggling, he repeated the action this time opening his eyes inside the unfamiliar in texture and properties, substance.

Lightly coughing he retreated rubbing his eyes. When he was ready to go under again, he was quickly dragged away from the basin.

“Sammy, what are you doing in here?” His exasperated Dad demanded, brushing the boy’s wet curls out of his wide eyes.

“Playing?” Sammy replied all too innocently but losing in effect when his series of pearly white teeth appeared. One more thing Uriel had robbed from him with his currently cute missing baby teeth and lisp.

“You know better than that. Especially not near this.” His Dad pointed the basin checking the door for any signs of misuse and then looking back suspiciously at a still innocently staring Samael.

Not exactly sure what was going through his Dad’s mind, Sammy threw his arms in the air knowing He would comply with the request and indeed He did. For a child that was once used on a constant contact, lately, he had suffered enough without his Father’s touch.

“Are they baby frogs?” The child inquired stealing a final peek at the depths of the basin from his Father’s arms.

“No Sammy! They are something bigger, much, much bigger!” Father laughed securing the door behind him never noticing the boy’s smirk.

“They looked like frogs!” He pressed remembering the last of his Dad's projects or better yet the futile attempt of Father to reassure Sammy that growing, even at a slower pace, meant that changes would eventually happen.

“Come you little anklebitter, let’s get you back to your room, except if you want to try playing with the others…” There was a hope in his Dad’s voice which probably disappeared when the small head shook rejecting any kind of fraternisation with the rest.

He had spent enough time upside-down, thank you very much!

“I’m good…” Rubbing his eyes again Sammy huffed his frustration on his inability to remove the last dampness from them, but he eventually shrugged it off.

“They will not bite you, little one.”

Dad as always tried to encourage him to seek out his siblings more, but Sammy on cue refused. He was not about to change his mind anytime soon, at least not before he was big enough, well bigger.

“I’m not little! I’m Samuel, and I’m big!” He interjected dark eyes challenging his Father’s blinding bright depths.

“Not for a very, very long time Sammy.” Father sighed readjusting his regrettably still tiny body around.

Patting the wingless shoulders with an evident to Sammy sense of unsettling worry and regret, it had the boy squirm in His arms trying to avoid the contact. His ego hurt too much.

“Daddy if… If I had wings do you think they would play with me?” His voice was small, and that question was of a common occurrence for the past few aeons.

“Uriel wants to play with you, wings or no wings. Why don’t you give him a chance?” Father advised but was met with the boy's fierce disapproval over His suggestion.

“He knows my every move. That’s cheating!” Sammy grumbled hiding further in his Father’s form, uncomfortable to keep talking about this.

“Well someone has to.” Father whispered under His breath while settling him in the makeshift space that was called his room for ages now.

“Daaad!” Stomping his foot down, he took advantage of his Father’s forthrightness.

It was a rare thing as of late, as they were His visits. There had been a subtle change in the air as Mother was becoming less than lovely and Father almost unapproachable.

“Tell you what, why not wait and see? You are still growing…-” Dad tried again with his illuminating light dimming as he brought himself to the child’s level.

“Everyone else just had them why should I grow them?” A long-suffering sigh followed as Sammy pulled his fingers in apparent agitation.

“It’s one of these great mysteries I suppose.” Placing the previously formless limbs on his son’s hands, his Dad rubbed the small worrying fingers.

“But you know everything!” Sammy insisted blinking at the sudden flaring of brightness around the room.

“That’s why I’m telling you to wait some more.” Father pressed again as He always did when that subject was discussed.

Sammy had to wait, and it was final. If only he knew, for how long and for what.

“Okay… Dad? What the non-baby frogs are called?”

It was a futile attempt to keep his Father around him for just a little bit longer. After all this time he just knew which right buttons to push when the time was right. The topic was an easy one. Creation.

“It’s up to them to decide down the road, but I have some other names in mind. Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel… Jacob and there is also a David in there as well. Honestly, I think I like the last one most of all.” Father began once again missing His son’s smug smirk at his accomplishment.

“David sounds like a pansy.” The boy deadpanned giving his Father a critical eye.

“Do you know what a pansy is Samael?” Father asked curiously something He only did around Sammy and Mother as far as the boy had noticed.

“Yes! A flower!” The reply left Sammy indifferent on what could be so special about a flower, especially one such simple as that one.

“True… So one day there will be a flower. One which will have a name meaning beloved, does David sounds better now?”

“No.” His confidence had Father’s shoulders drop slightly, and the boy knew he had received more in attention and patience than any of his siblings could ever dream of. So why something ached in his immortal body?

“Can I trust you to stay away from Creation this time Sammy?” Father asked him with a flaring of light lighting the room.

“For now.” He replied with his usual cheek that had always made Father laugh only realising it had long stopped having that effect.

“What am I ever going to do with you, little one?” Sammy heard his Father whisper softly as He was leaving the room.

The world outside this oddly shaped structure was still dark. The little boy was sure Father’s brightness would not go unnoticed which added to his problems for the next time he attempted to approach his siblings.

Sammy was no fool. He had understood that when he was ignored by Father, he had been treated considerably better. Less teasing behind his featherless shoulders, perhaps even more tenderly due to his age in some cases.

Sitting near the only window, the child observed as Father’s form disappeared in the distance. No one could know how long they would have to wait for the world to be lightened again. A century, a millennia or two.

Scratching absently behind his left ear, he noted that the wetness was no longer there. Although, something slippery to the touch was.

Pinching his skin to catch it, Sammy eventually entrapped it in his now closed fist. Opening carefully his palm the boy cocked his head as he always did when presented with a new mystery.

“A baby frog.” Sammy concluded in awe.

Frowning, he lifted the mucus-covered black dot which was circling his fingers with ease. Eliciting small piping noises the feisty marble sized blob, jumped from one of Sammy’s hands only to be enclosed in the other. It was certainly not a happy little thing.

“B6!” It pipped angrily inside the closed palm and Sammy would have sworn he felt something trying to get a chunk off his flesh from his hand in there.

“I got you out by accident, now stop biting! How can you even bite?” He hissed to the shrilling thing in his hand.

“F6!” It quipped stubbornly stopping to try to maul the boy’s hand.

“That was rude… It was an accident! I’ll get you back once Father is far away again.” Sammy promised seemingly appeasing the blob that had just stopped thrashing impatiently around.

“I’m Sammy, His son you know.” His chest puffed with inexplicable pride like when he had received this room. Only now it looked more like a confining space than something he was given as the favourite son.

“B6… D6?” The glistering marble shaped thing replied in confusion.

“It’s a name. You heard him, I think… Adam, Eve-“

“B6!” If Sammy didn’t know better, the blob had been shy for a moment there.

“David? You want to be called… David? Are you a flower blob?” Eyebrows knit together he probed around the blob for a glimpse of what he knew a pansy to look like.

Perhaps if he looked long enough…

“How about Dave?” Sammy offered still searching for any sign of this growth to be a flower but to no avail.

“A6, B6, F6, D6.” Grimacing at the reply, the boy nodded and returned looking out of his window. He would just have to wait for the right time.

There was only darkness in that room and then there was David.

* * *

  
3\. Hero

His muscles tingled forcing his short limbs violently flex as he drove himself harder. Running for an infinite time around the Void was the only outlet the boy was ever allowed to have, and Sammy planned to make the most of it until someone noticed.

The problem was they rarely did notice. Therefore, he had long surrendered on trying to achieve the closest thing a Celestial could call exhaustion, namely boredom.

What his siblings achieved with flying he had to accomplish otherwise. A challenging feat as Dad had made it His pastime to litter the Void here and there, with every little binned and usually bothersome mindless creation of His. Therefore, in the darkness he ran freely where no sibling of his would ever see him rosy-cheeked, racing to break a non-existing finish line ribbon.

At one point in his life, Lucifer would later realise he had tended to sprint for days, weeks and even years at a time. Ages passed, and Sammy kept racing with his only opponent, the undefined yet existence of time.

Flying behind his stretched and high in the air arms, there was the occasional grey sheet he often smuggled from his room. The long textile resisted in the wind. The thin edges flapped as the boy accelerated. It almost felt like flying, yet Sammy had no way of knowing.

He just pretended and pretending tended to be enough. It was a form of practice as he always insisted to Dave who whistled his doubt from the crook of his neck. A place where the little blob just loved to nip whenever he disagreed with the child.

Sammy had yet to find the opportunity to return the little bugger back to the basin. Dad was almost constantly close to the workshop whenever the boy wanted to get in and get rid of Dave once and for all. Or at least that was his grumpy reply whenever the blob nipped a bit too hard for his liking.

When a simmering light cut through the obscure bleakness above him, Sammy would occasionally stop running for a while and wistfully look in awe the endless void. Instances such as that one often happened, but there was one in particular which held the boy’s unceasing interest.

Over the Cherub’s Cradle Valley and close to the Power’s Hills was where the Archangel’s met briefly before being sent around to do Dad’s biding. At first, Sammy would wait near the top in hopes to exchange a few words with Michael or Gabriel before they flew off for another aeon or two. Then there was Amenadiel, the dubbed “firstborn”, Father’s first Angel soldier.

“Stop it, Dave, we are going to miss him again.” The boy complained running as fast as his short running strides could carry him.

“D6…” Dave warned him before digging his non-existing sharp edges at Sammy’s collar.

“Ouch! Will you stop that? It’s not funny! You don’t even have teeth, how do you do it!?”

Rubbing the unblemished, yet throbbing in pain spot, Sammy climbed the last hill just in time to see Michael and Gabriel’s dark wings glister in the distance.

Frantically the boy searched around for the well-known golden flares that his eldest brother was known for when Amenadiel took off. Surely enough the rapping sequence of flapping wings slicing through the darkness was heard and eventually were seen by the boy.

With his sheet securely gripped in his tightly clasped fists, Sammy ran as fast as he could under his brother's non existing shadow. There was no use, as much as he tried Sammy knew he would never compete with the speed Amenadiel was flying with.

Refusing to give up just yet, Sammy rolled his shoulders to fight the air’s resistance without much luck. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the constant nippings Dave planted wherever that damn thing could reach and forced his legs to move faster.

Warmth rose from his legs to his peculiarly aching lungs before a struggled cry escaped his huffing mouth. The sudden brightness behind him formed a jittering shadow startling him. Sammy half expected to see his Dad appear out thin air as he often did. The reason simple, Father would demand from him to return to his room and leave these foolish one-sided races for good. Yet when Sammy had ever listened?

The ground quaked as Sammy still searched for Father’s grace which was responsible for illuminating this part of the universe. However, the natural heat of divinity never greeted him despite the sparks flying over his head.

Small dark eyes examined the torn sheet he was still holding. The textile was greedily consumed by advancing amber flares before they reached his still tightly closed fists where they finally disappeared.

“What did you do Samael?” His brother’s baritone voice demanded to know as he soundlessly landed next to the boy, eyes always focused on the child's, tiny in comparison, clasped hands.

Sammy felt Dave slither down his spine. Squirming at the blob’s fluid drifting south on his flesh, the boy fought not to give away its presence to his older brother.

“Nothing Dad wouldn’t know.” Sammy bluffed with their parent’s limited omniscience where he was concerned.

“True. Still got a room, little brother?” Amenadiel poked fun at Sammy’s status as the only child with no real purpose, no divine appointed task or otherwise.

Since his birth, Sammy had been kept close to Father and Mother at all times never given an assignment or purpose in life. He was only expected to stay out of trouble and as of late, out of their parent’s sight.

His stunt growth had not helped his confusion over where he belonged anymore. Was it behind the sheltered walls Dad had provided him with or was he supposed to eventually come by his own to his inheritance as all his siblings had at some point? They had one by one all fallen into their places of servitude. Everyone except from the wingless little Samael. Well almost everyone...

“You know, you don’t have to sound so dickish” Sammy retorted keeping his ground for the first time, surprising Amenadiel.

Chuckling Amenadiel never spared him another glance before flapping hard his wings and disappearing. The child knew he was not considered worthy enough for another exchange.

Sammy was as cold and distant as their parents were nowadays. He was oddly enough, unaffected and received expressionlessly any offence he was thrown at him. Everyone knew that, even the boy himself. The only difference was that the child burned fiercely deep down with every lashing comment from his siblings.

Wiping his full of textile ash, palms on his clothes, Sammy ignored David's race over his thin and absent of muscle arms. With Amenadiel flying off the boy had nothing to hide anymore, so he let the blob move freely around him.

“F6!” Dave finally chirped tickling the sensitive flesh between Sammy’s fingers.

“You know what?” The boy sighed trying to recreate the flames that had burned his bed sheet though only managing a distinct heat to spread down his fingertips with every tension releasing, finger snap.

“Sometimes heroes are like that. All great and mighty until they open their mouths and-” Sammy smiled over the blob’s aloofness between his warm fingers figuring that perhaps he had been wrong all this time.

The rumbling inside him intensified as he watched Dave curl on his palm, fruitlessly seeking more heat if possible. Sammy had lost a hero today, but in return, he had sort of became his blob’s one.

Unknowingly Samael had been appointed a task, perhaps not from Father or Mother but from an insignificant existence for everyone else but him. Samael was now Dave’s one and only hero.

* * *

   
4\. Warmth

  
Worrying his lip for the good part of a century, Sammy waited patiently close by to Dad's workshop. The only structure there was in this vast place. Mother had long stayed far from this part of Creation. He had witnessed the spats and the arguments which had, as a result, his hesitation to rise on seeking out Mother’s embrace. An odd sibling had been created here and there, but things were not as he remembered them being since the very beginning of time.

“C6” Dave faintly whined from his nesting place within Sammy’s thick and always unruly curly hair.

“I know just hang in there for a little while longer.” Sammy encouraged his tiny friend snapping his fingers just enough for a tiny flame to appear.

Dave was fading away, and it wouldn’t be long before-. _Before what?_ The wet traces around Sammy's neck had diminished day after day until the little blob had shrunk shivering in the child’s small hands. He should have been more daring and approached the workshop and the basin while Father was around and not like now, locked inside it, but it was already too late.

The only comfort Sammy could offer to the gruelling nowadays Dave was the light he managed to incorporate between his clicking fingertips. That stopped the high tunes of lament, but it had not helped resume the mouthful bites on his celestial flesh that his friend had enjoyed giving him so much.

“We have to get in now! Can you stay hidden long enough until I reach the basin?” The boy asked already walking towards the massive closed door.

On cue, Dave moved to the front of Sammy’s scalp where his messy hair stood high and untamed much like the child itself. The grip the little creature had on his roots made him wince wondering if Dave would keep quiet or if the curious blob would ruin this plan for both of them.

Contemplating his choices again but finding no other solution, he rested his hand on the handle and exhaled a deep breath before opening the door. It had been so long since he has stepped in that place. The surroundings were more colourful than anything Sammy had ever seen before. Checking his Father whose attention had not been shifted by the presence of his son, Sammy took some time to look around some more.

Tiptoeing to the granite basin, Sammy could feel Dave securing itself more firmly on the roots of his hair. Too bad the blob was getting back in the basin whether it liked it or not. He could not comprehend what happened after the fading, but his gut lurched every time he thought of it.

Stretching at the edge of the carved stone edge he could hear the distinct soft plopping the other blobs were causing as they stirred within the liquid. Straining more the boy anchored his arms and agonised over climbing his way up. Careful to not alert his Father, Sammy with difficulty regulated his laboured breathing until he had a good view of the contents of the basin.

At his appearance, myriads of little blobs barely larger than Dave scattered as far from the child as possible. The feat proved to not be logistically successful as there was no more available space in the now murky substance. They had evidently multiplied to thousands if not millions. Perhaps even billions considering how small they were.

Sinking his fingers into his thick locks, Sammy felt the warmth of the tiny lone flame Dave was always attached to lately, as he removed it carefully from his hair. The flickering light and its brief lasting warmth never lasted long enough to cover Dave’s needs so the basin regretfully it was.

“What are you holding there boy?” The gentleness he had associated with his Dad's voice was barely breaking the surface anymore.

Biting his inner cheek, Sammy frowned unwilling to admit what had led him to break into this place again. A rigid arm extended to present his loosely closed fist. In a battle of conscience between keeping his new friend and his loyalty towards his Father, Sammy opened his fingers letting the struggling light to be seen despite His always illuminating presence.

"How peculiar." Father's warmth washed over him, as He took a better look at what the boy's cupped palm held.

"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know _how_." Sammy admitted surrendering the now slowly burning out flame to his parent's eager hands.

A rising ribbon of smoke eddied from Father's hand signifying the brief life of Sammy's creations. Not waiting for an invitation the small child grasped the now steadily subduing in light, limb of his Dad forcing it to his eye-level. As darkness was set for the first time in Father's presence, while Sammy anxiously tried to find Dave within the continually morphing form of his Father.

"Try again, Samael." Father encouraged him gently stopping his son's frantic search.

He had forgotten how it was to be alone in an everlasting darkness; his little blob had made this constant dark solitude bearable, sometimes even unnoticeable.

"You are a smart boy Sammy so let me show you something." Effortlessly he was placed on his Father's sturdy and always warmth radiating middle. It had been so long that Sammy had forgotten how much anything dry and soft felt like on his skin.

With a sigh, Sammy gave in to his Father who carried him for a few feet towards the corner where they both knew the basin was standing undisturbed.

"Look at them." Father instructed him with a hand providing a soft glow over the waving surface of the clear liquid.

Wild and multitudinous every black spec moved on cue with the faint light emitting from the tips of his Father's fingers. Discernable to the power the divine could command and bend the liquid trembled fitfully trying to come closer to the source of the light.

"There are so many." The boy whispered baffled at the density of the population.

"Enough to fill the universe and more. Life comes in many forms and abilities all you need is a seed." Father mused hovering over the stretching upwards surface.

"Are they warm enough?" Sammy asked fiery eyes searching for Dave.

"No." Father admitted withdrawing his hands away from the liquid and on the boy's back.

His eyes stung as he felt powerless in his Father's embrace. Throat bobbing Sammy choked a whimper that made his small body tremble.

"I'm aware you have experienced only eternity, but you are also the only one that has truly changed in an era that seems phenomenically constant and unyielding by time little one." The intense warmth was back yet without the comforting light Father was known for emitting.

"I don't want them to go away." The boy cried, now wailing in earnest as tightening arms held him close for comfort.

"Everlastingness always comes with a price. A piece that has to break down, decay and finally be forgotten altogether."

"Not for us." Sammy petulantly reminded him.

"Sammy everyone is the creator of its own universe and limitations are bound to apply. Which means I need you to try again." His fingertips brushed his own willing then to spark. 

"It just happens." The boy sighed fisting his finger around his thumb and nothing. There was no flicker of light as Sammy knew it wouldn't be.

"I will not illuminate the world for them Samael, not yet. But you can offer them a path until they are ready for more. You wanted a calling perhaps that's the one."

"I don't want to do it in here." The light would alert Dave and if Sammy had been successful tempting him back would be disastrous.  

Squirming out of his Dad's arms he bolted out of the workhouse. Unwilling to step away from where his friend was he decided to stay for a little while longer, door closed safely fastened behind him.  Dave was safe back where he belonged and the night was no longer welcome for another crazy adventure. The hills could wait as could Father. Being aimless was not an unprecedented state for him.

"C6!" A whistle pierced his left ear before he felt a somewhat vengeful bite landing on the arch of his outer ear.

"Dave!" The boy growled jamming his index in his ear and rubbing the spot vigorously making Dave retreat further back in the narrow canal.

A low hiss rumbled a warning not to push too far in. It appeared that his little friend was more than pissed with him.

"I thought you wanted to get back in there!" Sammy murmured slightly disoriented by the deafness Dave was causing on his left side.

"Perhaps I was... wrong?" He hesitantly tested the word and for the first time being something less than expected felt right.

"F6." Dave softly sang this time considerate of the discomfort it was causing.

A warm rising current of air made him breathe better. His mind was finally at peace now that he knew where the not so insignificant anymore tadpole was. His lungs expanded with every breathed relief seemingly awakening from their until now oblivious to him, dormant state.

Insubstantial particles were felt collecting on the tips of his fingers, forcefully attracted to each other under his shinning in the dark eyes. The thermal effect was instant as the pieces clustered rotating faster and faster around a gradually building core. Time became insignificant until the first sparks of a new auroral era, surmounted the shadows giving way to an eye-capturing shaped horizon.

"This one will never go out Dave, and it's yours. Irrevocably always _yours_." Sammy murmured admiring the sphere's lustrous quality that could rival his parents' dazzling divine presence.

The world around them was the same and still changed. It was incoherent and saturated by a depth-crawling brightness. In the aeons that would follow, humanity would preach over the magnificence of the first light that illuminated the Creation. No one would ever describe the confusion reflecting in a young boy's eyes as he took the vastness before him.

Glued to the door of his Dad's workshop, the child blinked at how different the universe appeared now. There was no emptiness; everything was defined and quickly swarmed by the fast-approaching spectators. The ground rattled with each new landing accompanied by the faint whoosh of wings sharply flipping.

"I had forgotten how many of you they were." Sammy said in awe standing straight to make himself look taller yet fully aware he was visibly flustered and blushing.

"It tends to happen a lot lately." The eldest mused keeping his large wings extended with the hackled feathers fluttering at the force of the light breeze.

The dark skin glistered golden proving Father's fastidious care in Amenadiel's creation. Every single line, whether soft rounded or sharp cutting, complimented the large man as he towered most of their siblings. He had been created to command under Father, and it was now clear that the two brother's although balancing on the same rope of Father's affections, they had two very different views of the other's worth of existence.

"Not my fault." The boy said calmly avoiding most of the stares his cupped hands were receiving.

"It never is young Samael." His brother agreed too readily for Sammy's liking.

"Relinquish what you filched and I might plead your case as an indiscretion of youth's slip." Dark eyes softened despite maintaining his authoritative posture.

Father was a door away, and Sammy knew He was waiting. Short limbed and wingless, he was not fast enough, strong enough or grown enough to protect Dave's fireball or even Dave. Fighting his instinct to cower in front of his brother, the young Angel tried to check his breath's intake that was coming faster and faster now.

He was panicking, and the deafness from his left ear only proved how far Dave had found shelter in his ear canal.

Sammy knew that help was not about to come. He had to claim his place between his siblings. That and only that was his only chance. Weak as he was in comparison to the rest, the solution was simple. Cradling close to his bare chest the amber, flare spitting orb, the boy offered Amenadiel his empty palm.

Feathers were ruffled, shooting a chill down to everyone's spines. The temperature gradually raised during the same resplendent process Sammy had experienced for Dave's sake. Furiously swirling leks of matter were summoned, unearthed, landed and raced into a gravitational spin to create an almost replica of his first accomplishment.

"I cannot fly so I cannot do it by myself. Help me, brother?" Sammy requested still focusing on creating as many bright spheres as possible always trying to keep Dave's outside of sight and mind.

"Mother appears to have been correct once again. Her Lightbringer." Amenadiel grumbled marvelling the hovering light-bearers.

A confrontation had been won by the most unassuming side yet both brothers knew a _quickening_ had just begun. Amenadiel thoughtfully took one of the spheres and with a snort, he flew off complying with his little brother's request. The rest of his brothers and sisters lingered waiting for a sign of Father's approval however when nothing appeared from behind the closed door, they followed suit. All but one. 

"He always had a problem with details." Zizi remarked cleaning her nails from the non-existing dirt.

The boy stiffened despite his seemingly relaxed posture. Dave was still in his ear but was sliding out obviously curious by his sister's borderline friendly tone. 

"Better hide whatever you are keeping so close, little darling. Eventually whatever you are cradling with such care will be found." She advised him, wings spread and ready for a take-off. 

 

* * *

   
5\. Tremble  
  
With light, the shadows made their appearance, but Sammy chose to ignore the quick change that was looming in the now clear horizon. Resolving the issue of his little blob’s survival out of the pond had been achieved, and Father had been right. They were like seeds, with every new source of light that found its way up to the sky Dave was thriving. The nips varying from playful to lasting aching ones has provided him with a veil of blissful oblivion.

“It will not be long before someone takes a closer look little brother,” Azrael warned him before ruffling his hair which elicited a happy squeak from Dave.

The small companion was safely fastened with his heating aid at the boy’s clothes. If it were not for the distinct brightness the spare elicited since its creation, none would be wiser Sammy was still carrying it around.

“Zizi, if one of us was gone do you think they would notice ?” The boy wondered playing with a rogue curl just above his forehead.

“And go where brother?” The teen girl asked in her usual bored tone. A consistency that eased Sammy’s racing thoughts.

“Dunno, somewhere. Anywhere.” He responded trying to awkwardly mimic his sister’s elbow placement on the ground as she lied down to gaze at her brother’s new creations.

“They would know, they always know everything.” Closing her eyes, she seemed to enjoy the warming rays on her pale face.

“But would they notice?” Samael insisted watching her heavy black eyelashes twitch.

“Is there really a difference?” Opening her deep brown eyes, she met his almost black troubled ones.

The boy broke the eye contact and shrugged letting gravity do its work. For him, it made a difference. Hips he would have replied if it wasn’t for fear of finally holding an answer to this answer.

“Why don’t we visit Father? He must be pleased with your work so far.”

She watched patiently as he crossed and uncrossed his legs twice and one more time over and when a muffled yelp escaped him he raised quickly to his feet. Dave as always had taken the lead and had chewed some much-needed action to the now fidgeting boy.

Rubbing his arm, Sammy looked towards the direction they should take. Azrael walked slowly down the bare hill; silver wings tucked in her back. She was giving him the time he needed to follow. A small smile appeared on his chapped by worry lips.

Walking side by side in silence aside from Dave’s energetic chirping, Sammy could see Azrael’s fingers drumming on her thigh in rhythm with Dave’s gibberish notes thrown here and there. For a long time, he had become his blob’s main provider of physical contact, and that had kept him calm for more than he had ever thought possible yet now he craved to be the receiver of a slice of care and attention.

Short fingers hesitantly touched hers while he always kept his eyes fixed on the distance. They walked in silence not bothered by the sheering heat Dave purred under in contentment. The path was long, yet the Azrael never appeared to be bothered by her brother’s tedious small steps. The empty plain they were expecting was found overcrowded as the hum of whispers and nervously stretching feathers filled the air.

Passing with difficulty through the long frames of their siblings, Sammy tightened his fingers around Dave’s first light thankful that the little blob had decided to hide within the folds of his tunic cloth. Azrael ignoring the little insults made way through the crown always holding her brother’s hand in her now clammy one.

“Father?” She announced their arrival at the front of Father’s workshop.

Usually illuminated by His light the place was now covered by a thick veil of darkness. Using the little bright sphere, Sammy swallowing nervously stepped in the workshop halting immediately any intended movement. The solid earth under his bare feet was now moist and sparse. The sordid odour of lifelessness and decay the ground emitted had a chill shot up his spine.

“Never let anyone extinguish your light, my dear boy.” The mournful bleakness sounded rough and dejected as Father refused to make his presence known.

“This is all I could save my little Samael.” Piteously mangled fingers caressed the child’s shoulder, before tracing the raised hair down to the still fisted grip Sammy had on his sphere.

Something cold was entailed around his wrist before Father gave him a gentle push. Out of curiosity or even defiance, the boy opened his fingers with difficulty revealing the sight their Father had tried to conceal.

The basin had been overturned, and its contents spilt everywhere on the sodden to mire soil. Everything lay still and unmoving. Little formed lumps glistered dully under his now ripped innocence.

“They were, and now they are not. They- they are not! How can they not be?” Sammy murmured his confusion digging his hand into the soft earth for any remaining blob that still was, yet they were or not.

“Stop little one.” Azrael patted his sullen hands together trying to remove the caked dirt off them.

Under her attention, the coruscant remains vanished in a rising mist. Soon there was nothing left to remind them of what was once existed; nothing aside from the last of its kind now hidden away from the plain view.

“There cannot be a sunrise without a sunset child. I tried, I truly tried but-“ His long-suffering sign electrified the air making the tension palpable in the room.

“They are calling,” Azrael noted examining her rubbing fingertips.

“Guide them to a safe place Zizi.” Father ordered softly his daughter calling her by the nickname his youngest only used in private.

“Why?” Sammy asked ignoring the droplets that were tickling his nose on their way to his chin and finally down to the now dry once again floor.

“They expired Samael in a time when there is no refuge to be found. It’s what death is designed to do boy. It deteriorates and brings an end to what is not meant to live for long.”

“So fix it! You can do it!” The boy pleaded kneading his tuning in distress.

“Your Father will do no such thing my precious.” Mother interrupted Sammy with a mad chuckling erupting at the loss in Sammy’s eyes.

“You ignored the children; you ignored me over something so easily breakable as it will be forgettable.” Mother blaze flared with every word as she moved towards their still dim Father.

“I asked you for this to become ours and you scoffed life itself!” The sombre man replied quietly.

“Azrael has found her path, and it’s a painful one. Handling moulder and death and grief, is that what you wish for the rest of her eternity?” She argued back bitterly stroking her daughter’s pale cheek.

“Mommy?” Sammy croaked, eyes widening spilling unsaid words of betrayal, anguish and unparalleled pain.

“For you my son, for your sister. You will not be revered servants of filth in matching flesh sacks.” Mother crooned reaching for the boy that was now trembling, rocked in silent sobs.

“Do not be upset precious; Father sees his mistake. I did for you Samael-“

“F-. Fo-. For _me_?” The boy screeched alarmed eyes darting between his parents and his now wall supported shaken sister.

“Nothing like that ever again, and if your Father thinks differently, they will meet the same ill fate. I give you my word son.” The glint of madness fervently shinned through her whole being making Samael shrink backwards.

Father’s physical dejection and refusal to come forward spoke of a battle lost, an impending though war was raging in his eyes. Sammy turned to Zizi for guidance, a helpful, encouraging glance, yet she was already too far gone by her newly acquired ability. Her purpose had been set, and Samael was fully aware no now could avoid their appointed task.

Backing a couple of steps to the light and warmth he had created, the boy ignored his Mother’s extended arms. He had failed to create the safe haven Father had requested from him, and they were now gone. Only one was left behind, if he wanted to keep Dave safe he had to get away from the terrifying looming Mother, away from the now powerless Father. Away from Zizi’s task.

“Son?” Mother inquired in confusion watching him cower away from her.

Staggering steps took him backstopping outside of the workshop. The buzzing grew as he came to the view of his siblings. Hushed questions, were demanded but his mind was numb as was his whole body. Cerulean eyes glowed now in concern as Mother followed him.

“Samael?” She tried again speaking softly opening her arms, expecting the same mischievous yet affectionate boy she knew to seek her once again.

Large hands stopped his fearful retreat weighting heavy on his bony shoulders. Looking sharply upwards, Amenadiel’s usually stony features relaxed at the terror Sammy could only guess was depicted in his sweating face.

“Brother, Mother is calling for you.” His voice lacked the caustic sarcasm that was targeted to him when they were alone.

It was unsettling, maddening how roles had been reversed. Searching deep in his elder brother’s eyes for the first time, Sammy could see the worry and did he dare to name the other bubbling emotion, fear. He was too weak he already knew that. Too small to fight back if Mother wanted to carry on with her promise. Who would ever go against Mother? Not even Father had.

Struggling out his brother’s hands was easy when the boy ducked and made a run for it. He already knew that someone else would eventually grab him, so he counted on his small structure to slither between legs, wings and swift fingers. They didn’t understand, and the boy knew they wouldn’t if Father didn’t speak up for what the event that had occurred could only be named as a massacre that produced a new word for his ever-expanding vocabulary.

Sǐ. Tod. Mort. Ölüm. Kuolema. Moarte Смерть, Maut. Jug-eum. Maranam. Dood. Surm. Fahafatesana Morte. Almawt. Ukufa. Heriotza. Død. Θάνατος. Death. Make. Kifo. Smert, Dauða, Kamatayan. Bàs. Marwolaeth. Death. Death. Death. _Death!_

Thousands of variations filled his head as he ran but all meant the same thing. No more, not ever again. Lost forever.

“Young Samael, _return_!” Amenadiel roared not far behind him, and the boy knew fully well shortly his brother would pursue him airborne.

Not wasting his time to look back he took long frantic gaits. Escaping was a foolish thing to believe he could manage, with so many hands clawing his clothes and back. One of them would finally catch him and if they didn’t Amenadiel would land right in front of him. It was a quick thought which became a sudden reality. Magnificent wings spread upon his brother’s feet touching the ground.

“Last warning runt. Mother is watching.” His brother pointed her at the far back still standing close to Father’s workshop.

Looking back and forth between the now two persons he was terrified the most; his stubbornness kicked in. He would go under on his own terms, not theirs.

“No.” Sammy simply replied, tears still streaming on his cheeks and launched to escape believing his size would again give him an advantage.

Savagely willing hands caught him in his mid-run. Raising him effortlessly from the ground the boy was conflicted between his long admiration over Amenadiel’s abilities and the first pure loathing he had ever felt towards someone.

Struggling to escape was futile. With every step, his brother took Dave was moving closer to the end of his kind. To the end of having someone to care for, to speak to, to love outside of the enforced familiar bonds he had been born into.

His heart quivered as his whole suspended in the air by his brother trembled violently. Eyes closed in order not to witness his humiliation reflecting on Amenadiel’s ones, stung as the tears could not fall quick enough.

“Please,  _enough_.” The boy whimpered as he felt his brother’s hold relaxing before it squeezed his short arms with more determination.

Stern quivering from the swallowed sobs, with what little strength he had, Sammy kicked his brother’s stomach trying once again to break free but failing miserably. Not able to accept the finality of his situation and probably of Dave’s life who could be now felt clutching his tunic covered hip.

“I said enough.” He squeaked in a low unearthly growl. Eyelids fluttered opened allowing the tears to fall.

His corneas were burning, and the heat oozed to the back of his skull, down to his neck and spine until it settled to the small of his back before shooting straight up again. In a gasp, Sammy coughed his surprise as pain enveloped him.

Amenadiel’s eyes widened, and where the boy was braced for the pity blended with triumph, he saw what was deep in his own very soul. Fear. Cruelly bright crimson eyes could be clearly seen mirrored in his brother’s dilated deep brown ones.

“Enough.” Samael said simply forcing his body to go limp and surrendered himself to the curling ache.

Bones cracked as his tight smooth skin convexed and gnarled. Rolling his shoulders to ease the pressure he was unexpectedly released when the pain dulled with a pop. The sound of tearing had the boy reaching for his cloth to keep Dave out of sight when he felt the wetness sip into the fabric.

Brilliant red spots marred the tunics of the ones who had the misfortune to stand to close to the child. Confused and always holding the tunic he reached his left hand to his back where a slippery mass now existed.

“My beautiful Angel.” Mother exclaimed with a soft, inviting trill.

Frowning Sammy brushed over the slick protuberance on his back. It felt soft and sticky to the point he had the urge to scratch his back in numerous places. His pale palm returned to his vision pied red with chunks of white flesh and feathers glued to it.

Panic started to rise once more, and his new extremities fluttered in agitation spraying the liquid substance they were covered with to rain over the spectators. Everyone's attention was on him, including his Father’s who had just got out of His workshop.

The wings flexed spasmodically prodding him to embrace them in his desire to flee, but he stayed rooted under the stare of his whole family. Grunting in frustration to control them he clutched his tunic harder with his right hand while still holding Dave’s sphere.

“He got his wings!” Mother announced happily to the family who took it as a command to finally disperse.

Father stood silently measuring the state of his youngest born. Dishevelled, shaking and with drying tears was surely a sight to behold. Nodding to Himself, Father took some of the gooey substance between his fingers and let his light be ignited once more.

“Give me the sphere Samael.” He demanded, and the boy dug his fingers as securely as he could around it.

“No.” The boy said faintly striking a surprise on his Father’s shining features.

That was his first defiance towards Him and was willing to get as far as he could.

The man gently unwrapped the forgotten chain from the child’s right arm with difficult as it was glued to his side. Without offering him an explanation, He reached to the end of the chain and presented him the globular silver locket. It took a flick of his thumb, and the locket opened revealing its hollowness.

“I meant to give it to you for a long time now Samael.” His Father admitted and secured the chain around his son’s neck.

“Clean up your wings, put your precious light in this locket and learn how to fly son.” With a gentle tap on the child’s cheek, he turned his back to him leaving him to collapse on the ground.

His wobbly legs could no longer hold him upright, so they had given out under his weight. Looking his Father walking away from him, Sammy felt an odd sense of relief. There had been something lost, and something gained that day, and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to snoop around for which was which anytime soon.

Experimentally he tried to stretch his wings without much success. Wet and glued together the feathers stuck out at odd angles. The stained roseate plumage was stubbornly persisting in following his awkward and slightly aching muscle commands.

“You need to clean them first little one.” Her timidness for the first time startled him.

Feet kicking the ground Sammy tried to get away from the source of his sister's voice. She appeared as exhausted and troubled as he felt. When Azrael was sure he couldn’t try to get away from her despite his apparent distrust towards everyone in their family at the moment, she kneeled next to him studying his new wings.

“First open this.” She flicked open the locket and carefully extracted the glowing sphere from her brother’s loosening to her touch fingers.

“You will never let anyone touch it or get to close to it. The family will be curious at first but remember hiding Dave in plain sight is the best bet for his survival and your sanity.” Zizi advised him warmly phishing the fussing Dave of Sammy’s clothes and placing him along with the sphere in the delicately ornate, silver orb pendant.

Clenching the jewellery in his blood soiled hand, he stared at his sister trying to figure her out, very much like he had done the first time after his birth. She was the same if not a bit paler, her shoulders a bit heavier and her smile not as wide as it hid a considerable amount of foul bitterness.

“You will not take Dave. _Ever_.” He told her bargaining a game with no chips, and they both knew it. It was that is why it meant so much. There were no stakes to be put on the table.

“I cannot control it, Sammy, not yet at least. Perhaps though not ever.” She tried to explain him, and the boy shook vigorously his head new tears threatening his clear and literally sparkling crimson specked, brown eyes.

“Promise me! Zizi, until there are _no more_ roads.” He reminded her the very first promise she had ever made him.

“And if you ever find their end, I will make sure to carve one with you. For you.” Azrael gave him a tooth revealing smile.

“You promise?” The boy asked again as she pushed his chest gently to lie him down to the dark scorched and bare land.

“I’ll protect Dave in your place if the need ever arises. Is that acceptable?” His sister told him rubbing the fine dry dirt on his wings.

“Yes.” He replied simply allowing her to tend his sensitive inner feathers.

“Now try to roll and sway your torso to the ground while you flip your wings quickly. I’ll hold you down this time just in case.” She instructed him holding him down as he grinned the blood and dirt away.

His feathers had been fluffed and ruffled, but the itching and most of the discomfort he had felt since their appearance was finally gone. Repeating the flapping under his sister's added weight on his body, Sammy eventually stopped moving and was left enjoying the rays of his creations on the now dust-covered wings.

“Stay for a little while like this, let the dust set n your skin between your feathers and then shake the excess off you when you feel it’s time.” Azrael advised him before spreading her impeccable silver wings and flying off.

Covering his face with his hands, he allowed himself to relax, the silver orb resting snugly on his slowly racing and falling chest. The low rumble Dave was emitting calmed him down more than his sister’s reassurance. Spreading his hands along with his arms to bake under the strong suns’ rays  
Sammy fiddled with the earth and the small rocks that were lying around him.

The dirt had nestled deep inside his fingernails, but he couldn’t find the strength to care. The heat felt good on his previously shivering by fear and uncertainty still young body. Then there were his wings. Dusty brown now, but he had seen the glimpses of brilliant white unparalleled to any of his sibling's ones.

Stretching his legs and palms on the wallowed by his dust bath ground, he yawned and let the coolness of earth overtake him to an easy slumber. Aeons could have passed, and he would have been no wiser until the voice of his Mother roused him from within the workshop.

Rubbing his stiff neck, Sammy lost the fight with balance as he tucked his wings and rolled to the ground. Sleep still holding him captive, he lay down listening to his parent’s new topic for quarrel.

“He has wings. Our son, our youngest is finding his way. Sammy is growing up to be a unique Angel!” Mother sounded thrilled, a lovely echo from a time long lost to him.

“Samael is _dangerous._ ” Father argued back, and total silence fell in his young mind.

Sammy was gone. Samael had taken his place, now fearfully curled to himself with only protection his wings. Only time could tell for how long Samael would stay in this position.

For how long would he keep upholding his given name?

Samael,  _The Lightbringer._

 

* * *

  _To Be Continued..._

* * *

 

Songs for this Entry:

[Echo - Jason Walker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIeQbXukmBw)

[David's Song - Robbie Williams](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EputqxBgvz8)

[Hero - Family of the Year ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYFaghHyMKc)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really tried...


End file.
